It might be 72 degrees and shorts-wearing weather in SF, but it’s still fall and I love it. It’s the time of year where anyone can adopt basic habits and get away with it. Pumpkin spice lattes? Check. Shorts with boots? Check. Boozy brunch? CHECK.
To ring in fall with just the right amount of all three of the aforementioned traits, my friends and I held a brunch complete with mimosas, pumpkin scones, loads of fruit (health first), eggs, and this apple lattice tart I’m sharing today.
I do get bummed that all the berries of summer are gone, but when I found baskets of Braeburn apples at the farmer’s market, I remembered how amazing GOOD apples are and how versatile they can be. When we planned our pre-bluegrass-festival brunch, I picked up a couple pounds of these apples, rolled out some pie dough (easy to do in advance), and got to work.
The dough for this dessert is actually pie dough – no eggs or added sugar – so this would technically be a rectangular apple pie. BUT I baked it in my favorite rectangular tart pan because I’m a firm believer that pies/tarts look better when made in four-cornered bakeware. And so we have this apple lattice tart instead.
As with all pies and tarts, you can make the dough ahead of time, roll it into the pan, and refrigerate or freeze it til you’re ready to assemble. If you sense that your apples are juicier than you think, add a tad more cornstarch to the mixture – the last thing you want to serve at any brunch is a soggy-ass pie to gossip about later.
Don’t worry, the pumpkin recipes will come your way soon, but in the meanwhile, I hope you get a chance to high five fall with some delicious apple desserts like these!
- 2 1/4 cups AP flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 sticks butter, cold, cut into cubes
- 1.5 tsp granulated sugar
- Ice water
- 3 lb apples
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
- 1/4 ground ginger
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Egg
- Cut out a piece of parchment paper so it fits into the bottom of the tart pan. Butter the parchment paper as well as the sides of the tart pan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter pieces and mix until the butter is the size of large peas.
- Add 3 tablespoons of the ice water, mixing slowly until the dough is just combined. If you need to, add a little more ice water, but don’t overdo it or your dough will be soggy.
- Divide dough into two equal pieces, wrap with plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.
- Once chilled, roll out one piece of the dough into a rectangle and fit into the tart so it covers everything evenly. Freeze until ready to fill.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice the apples thinly and place in a large bowl. In a heavy bottomed pot, heat the butter over medium until it turns brown and nutty. Pour over the apples.
- With your hands (because it’s more fun that way!), add the brown sugar, vanilla bean seeds, ginger, and cornstarch and mix until everything is combined.
- Remove the tart pan from the freezer and carefully line with apples. You may have extra apple slices – all the better to eat! Pour in the remaining juices into the tart pan as well.
- Take the second piece of dough from the fridge and roll it out to make a lattice for the top (there are lots of tutorials online on how to do this!).
- Whisk the egg with a little water to make an egg wash and brush the tops of all the tart. Sprinkle everything with granulated sugar.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes until the lattice top is nicely browned and the filling looks bubbly. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving with ice cream!
I love the little GIF at the end, so cute 🙂 This looks absolutely gorgeous!
I love it!! Apple pie is always a fall favorite and I like that you used a tart pan. So cute!!
The giff at the end makes me want to run into the kitchen and make this apple lattice tart ASAP.
Absolutely stunning. I’m a total sucker for lattices, they are so gorgeous. Now I feel like making a pie, this post inspired me!