It's been hovering in the teens all week and I cannot stop myself from sleeping in a little longer than I usually do. The dogs are allowed out for ten minutes at a time; I worry about colds and infection. They roam the fence and bark at a brown rabbit that has been in our back yard for a week. I worry the ground is too frozen for a burrow. I wonder how he got so lost.
And in the fog of steam from my coffee and steam from my breath, I bake to remember the fog of my childhood. Baked apples and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Oatmeal cookies and sweetened rice with milk. It's winters like these, the kinds that are quick and silent as a dagger, that make me glad I'm back in Pennsylvania.
I'll wait out this Polar Vortex from the comfort of my kitchen, the yellow light of the oven glowing in the palest shade of orange I have ever seen.
Apple Tart with Oatmeal Crust
I used a 14" tart pan for this recipe and I do recommend you doing the same, both for presentation and ease. I adapted my crust from this one and found it super simple and delicious, bringing me back to cinnamon oatmeal Quaker packets along the way. Feel free to try any other type of fruit for this tart, though I am particularly partial to apple.
Ingredients for Oatmeal Crust:
- 3/4 cup quick cooking oats
- 1/2 cup AP flour
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 6 TB butter, cold and cut into cubes
- Pinch of salt
- 1-2 TB ice water
Directions for Oatmeal Crust:
- Prepare your pan and preheat oven to 350*F
- In a food processor, combine all ingredients except the water
- Pulse until fat is pea-sized
- Turn motor on and add ice water until a dough just barely forms from the liquid
- With floured hands, press crust into your tart pan
- Bake for 12 minutes
- Turn oven up to 400*F
Ingredients for Filling:
- 6 TB light corn syrup
- 2 TB molasses
- 1 egg + 1 yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 TB cinnamon
- 2 TB butter, melted
Directions for Filling:
- Whisk all ingredients
- Pour over par-baked oatmeal crust
Assembly and Final Directions: Thinly slice two apples and top your tart filling with these. Add a squeeze of orange juice or rum for a spike and sprinkle with a tiny bit of sea salt and a little more cinnamon. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until filling is set. To prevent your crust burning, you may want to use a bit of aluminum on the edges.
Allow to cool slightly before releasing from the pan and serve warm or cold with confecioner's sugar and ice cream.
