Five years in the making - I finally have enough apples to do something! It has been a struggle. This is NOT apple country, and every pest known to man has apparently marked my house on their map as the place to go for apples. But this year, with some diligence, and I admit it, just a little bit of treatment, I have apples.
My favorite thing to do with these apples is just eat one every morning - they are planted near the sheep pasture, so I like to pick one each morning after chores. But today, I decided to cook some in a tart (because for some reason, my husband refuses to just eat an apple off the tree). This is a recipe intended for pears, and to be honest, I think it would be better suited for pears. But it is lovely and gluten free, to boot.
Getting ready to start - I mean, come on - they look like real apples!!
Making a crust with ground almonds
Into the oven
And of course, the finished product (I think I was a bit shy on the cook time)
These were the Gala apples - the Granny Smiths will be ready in about a week and we are so having pie!!!
– 1 1/2 c finely ground nuts – 5 T butter – 1/4 t salt – 2 T sugar – 5-6 medium fruit, peeled and sliced thin – 1 t cinnamon – 1/4 t ground cloves – 1/4 c honey – 1/4 t nutmeg – 1 c cream – 1 egg Combine the ground nuts, salt, and sugar. Work in the butter until crumbly. Using your fingers, press the nut mixture into a round pan. Layer sliced fruit on top of the crust.
Mix honey and spices, and pour over fruit. In a small bowl, whisk together the cream and the egg until combined. Pour this mixture over the pears, trying to do it as evenly as possible. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until the top of the tart is brown and the cream mixture has set, approximately 30 minutes or so.