This weekend I picked up some plump, juicy Eureka lemons at the Farmers Market knowing just what I was going to use them for. Lovingly tucked away in my recipe files is a clipping, from Sunset Magazine circa 1970, highlighting a scrumpshish Danish Lemon Apple Tart. The clipping is yellowed, the paper is limp when you handle it and there are numerous little spots spattered about from years of use. It’s just one of those keepers I find I use over and over.
First you make the pastry crust by placing 1 cup unsifted all-purpose flour into a bowl with 2 tablespoons sugar. Add 6 tablespoons butter and crumble with your fingers until mixture becomes fine and crumbly, Stir in 2 egg yolks with a fork, then work dough well with your hands until it forms a smooth, non-crumbly ball.
On a lightly floured board, roll out dough to fit an 11-inch fluted tart pan with a 1-inch rim.
Press dough in place and prick with a fork.
Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on rack.
For the filling, beat four eggs in the top of a double boiler, then beat in ¾ cup sugar, 4 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water, and grated lemon peel from 1 lemon.
Place over simmering water and cook, stirring constantly, until lemon mixture becomes thickened. Remove from heat; chill.
For apple topping, peel and core four large apples and slice into 1/16ths. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a frying pan, add 2/3 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and the apple slices. Cook over medium heat, lifting apples with a fork to cook them evenly, until they turn transparent, about 10 mintes cooking time; cook down juices until they almost disappear.
Spread the cooled lemon filling in the baked crust; with a fork, lift hot apple slices one at a time onto the filling, arranging them as in the first photo. Spoon any remaining apple syrup over the apple slices. Chill before serving.
Makes 8 servings.
What to buy at the Farmers’ Market
Lemons
Apples – Any of these varieties are recommended: Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Jonagold, Jonathan, Liberty, McIntosh, Melrose, Newtown Pippin, Rome Beauty, Spartan, or Winesap
Eggs
Postscript: It only took a second, as most accidents do, and my beautiful Lemon-apple tart had a large candle smashed onto one side of it. Apparently I bumped the candle when I was moving around trying to get the best angle. Well, thank goodness I still had three good sides to photograph. The photography complete I fixed myself a cup of hot tea and I ate the broken pieces. When I brought out the tart that evening my grandson didn’t even ask why there were pieces missing. He was just happy I had dessert to offer.
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