Happy Boxing day!  I encourage you to make a Tart for yourself.  It’s been a hard year and you deserve a sweet treat.   I made this tart to satisfy a personal craving that I was having for European style apple turnovers.  I’m not talking about the weirdly puffy danishes doused with icing that appear in the United States.   I’m talking about deeply buttery, flakey pastry filled with a  tangy, spiced apple filling.  I don’t have the patience of skill to make gluten-free puff pastry, so I made a tart instead.  I added almonds because I favor nuts in dessert and I invented this to please no one but myself. 

You could make it in a not gluten-free tart crust as well if gluten is not a problem for you.  If you want a good traditional Pie Crust try the old fashioned pie crust here.

APPLE LEMON ALMOND TART (GLUTEN FREE)

FILLING

• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 cups of peeled and diced apples (I used 6 small apples, weighing 24 oz total before I peeled and diced them)
• 2/3-1 cup sugar (depending on the sweetness of the apples and you personal taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 vanilla bean scraped
• the zest of 1 lemon
• 2/3 cup blanched sliced almonds

1. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in the lemon juice and set aside.
2. Combine apples and sugar in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves and juices are released (4 minutes).
3. Stir in cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil, then remove it from the heat.  The apples will not be cooked and that is okay!
4. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, stir in the cinnamon, vanilla and lemon zest and allow it to cool for 30 minutes before proceeding.  You can make the pie crust while it cools.

GLUTEN FREE PIE CRUST

from Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise Roberts.  

Gluten Free Pie Mix

• 2 cups brown rice flour
• 2/3 cups potato starch (NOT POTATO FLOUR)
• 1/3 cup tapioca flour

This will make enough for two of these crusts.  Just keep the extra for next time!

Gluten free Pie Crust

• 1 cups plus 2 Tablespoons gluten-free pie mix
• 2 Tablespoons sweet rice flour (also known as mochi or glutinous rice flour)
• 2 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 Tablespoons cold butter
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons lemon or orange juice

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Butter a tart tin and dust it with rice flour (I used a 9″ square tin)
3. Mix the dry ingredients together.
4. Cut the butter in to the dry ingredients and use your fingers to combine until it has the consistency of course cornmeal.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and lemon juice together.
6. Add the egg and lemon mixture to the flour and butter, and combine into a ball.
7. Measure out two 12 inch sheets of wax paper.  Roll the dough out between two sheets of wax paper.
8. Remove one of the sheets of wax paper and flip the dough into the tart tin.
9. Remove the second sheet of wax paper and press the dough in to the tart tin using your fingers to repair any cracks.

ASSEMBLING THE TART

• 2/3 cups sliced blanched almonds

1. Sprinkle the almonds over the crust, then pour the cooled apple lemon  filling on top of the almonds and smooth it out.
2. Bake the tart for 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees or until the crust is golden and the filling has set into firm jam.   Let it cool before you slice it!