Handsome Is As Handsome Does - My Recipe Rotation - Apple Tart

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Sometimes there is more to handsome than a pretty face. As of late, there have been a slew of recipes that produce dishes that look beautiful, but fail miserably when subjected to taste tests. My intent is not to take anyone down, so, rather than focus on the negative, I've decided to shout from the roof tops when I come across a recipe that actually delivers the promises it makes. This recipe, developed by Patricia Wells, is in my permanent rotation and I make it whenever I can. It is making an encore performance on One Perfect Bite because it is so very, very good. As we prepare for our trip to the mountain kingdoms of Asia, I wanted to put together a collection of recipes that I think are outstanding. Some produce gorgeous dishes, others do not, but any recipe that appears in my permanent rotation is delicious and, if you are even slightly adventurous, I know you and you family love them. I wanted to start the month with this magnificent Golden Cream and Apple Tart. Here is what I had to say about the recipe when it first appeared on my blog.

Julia Child stole my heart, but Patricia Wells grabbed all the shelf space as each of her thirteen books found a spot in the bookcases against my den walls. In an industry that has fallen victim to the cult of personality, this quiet and unassuming woman continues to write and teach and create gorgeous meals that define what good cooking should be. She does it without fuss or fanfare, and, fortunately for us, she records what happens in her kitchen. She studied art history and journalism in college. While she loved to cook, there were no food writers at the time she graduated, so she used her other skill and became an art critic for the Washington Post. Bored, she moved to New York and began to write about food whenever the opportunity arose. In 1976 she became a food writer for the New York Times and was finally able to combine her love of food and cooking with her writing. Two years later she moved to Paris to write for the Anglophone papers and, following publication of her first book, became the first woman restaurant critic for the French newspaper L'Express. In the intervening years, she garnered a James Beard Award for her writing and established a cooking school that is held in high regard. While French food is her forte, she now runs marathons and her work in recent years features lighter, healthier fare. I've selected this beautiful peasant tart to represent her recipes. It is delicious, simple to make and a perfect example of French bistro cooking. I hope you'll give it a try.

Golden Cream and Apple Tart - Tarte Aux Pommes A La Creme...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Patricia Wells

Ingredients:
3 large egg yolks
3/4 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream
5 tablespoons sugar, divided use
1 (9-inch) tart shell, pre-baked and cooled
4 cooking apples (about 1-1/2 pounds), such as Granny Smith

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2) Place egg yolks in a large bowl and beat with a fork. Add creme fraiche and 3 tablespoons sugar, mixing until well-blended. Set Aside.
3) Peel and core apples. Cut them in half and then cut each half into quarters. Starting just inside edge of pastry shell, neatly layer slices, slightly overlapping them, in 2 or 3 concentric circles, working toward center of tart. Pour cream mixture over apples. Sprinkle top with reserved 2 tablespoons sugar.
4) Bake in center of oven until cream filling is set and apples are very brown, even blackened at edges, about 45 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 8 servings.

                    

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