Alsatian Apple Tart



Last weekend we drove a few hours from Paris to the Alsace, one of the loveliest and most picturesque regions in France. In fact, the Alsace is one of the country's smallest regions of France but it boasts mouth-watering specialties.


La petite France

German influence can be found all over Alsace, not least in the cuisine and the wine. It can be seen by simply looking around at the architecture and tasting the food.

They say Alsatian cuisine is like none other in France. This French North-East region, that shares borders with Germany, perpetuates the traditional gastronomy of France.

If you like good, hearty food, Alsatian cuisine won’t disappoint. Baeckeoffe (Baker’s oven), a casserole of pork, lamb, beef and vegetables; choucroute garni, sauerkraut with sausage;  Flammeküche, or what is called tarte flambée in French, a pastry filled with cream, onions, cheese, mushrooms and bacon; Zweibelküche or tarte à l'oignon, which is an onion tart; Tourte, a pie containing ham, bacon or ground pork with eggs and leeks.

Kougelhopf molds

Alsace is also renowned for its patisseries, including the kougelhopf, a sultana and almond ribbed molded dome-shaped cake, or the tarte alsacienne, a custard tart with local fruits.

We meandered the medieval streets, drank some great wine and excellent food. As with any quint French village, the bakery has to be the place to go, one of the stops I had to make was “la boulangerie” to taste the Alsatian pastries.

 Srasbourg

I love the distinctive culture of French food accompanied with pride, exclusive ingredients and techniques. I love the idea how a region's food is heavily influenced by the region's own history and border countries. And I feel that if I truly want to experience France, I should experience the food, both regional and national.


Ingredients (serves 6):
Shortcrust pastry:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
9 tbsp (125 g) cold butter, cut into pieces
2 tbsp cold water

Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
In a large bowl, mix the flour, butter, sugar, and salt with your fingertips until the butter is in pieces about the size of peas. Quickly stir the water into the mixture and then gather up the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press it into a flat dish shape. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.

Butter the bottom and side of a tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface into a circle. Roll the dough up onto your rolling pin and then unroll it directly onto the pan.

For the filling:
1 pound medium sized sweet apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
3/4 cup heavy cream
6 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Layer the apples on the bottom of the dough. In a bowl, mix the eggs and sugar, add the cream and the vanilla extract. Pour on top of the apples and bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 50 to 55 minutes.



Tarte aux pommes à l'alsacienne

Ingrédients (6 personnes):
Pâte brisée
170 g de farine 
1 càs de sucre 
1/4 càc de sel 
125 g de beurre froid, coupé en dés 
2 càs d'eau froide

Préchauffer le four à 190°C.
Mélanger ensemble du bout des doigts la farine, le beurre, le sucre et le sel afin d'obtenir un mélange sableux assez grossier. Ajouter l'eau afin d'amalgamer le tout et former une boule de pâte. Emballer la pâte dans un film plastique et lui donner la forme d'un disque de la grandeur d'une assiette moyenne. Mettre au frigo pendant 1 heure et foncer un moule beurré de 24-26cm.

Beurrer un moule à tarte à fond amovible. A l'aide d'un rouleau à pâte, étaler la pâte en un cercle et étaler la dans le moule.

Pour la garniture:
4 pommes Golden
20 cl de crème épaisse
6 càs de sucre
1 œuf
1 jaune d'œuf
1/2 càc d'extrait de vanille

Epluchez les pommes, coupez-les en quartiers, éliminez le cœur et les pépins, recoupez les quartiers en lamelles et disposez-les harmonieusement sur la pâte. Dans un saladier, battre les œufs avec le sucre, la crème et l'extrait de vanille. Verser l'appareil sur les pommes. Enfourner à 190ºC de 50 à 55 mn.

Comments

  1. A splendid tart! I'd love to visit Alsace and buy a traditional Kougelhopf mould.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. You had a great week-end, amazing pictures and wonderful tart, I love anything with apples!

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  3. Un vrai délice cette tarte avec les pommes!!
    J'en raffole et la tienne est très belle!

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  4. What a beautiful tart, and wonderful for this season. Thank you for all those photos! I've never been to france but would love to go someday. For now I have to settle for photos.

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  5. Wow, it looks gorgeous and delicious!

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  6. Your apple tart is gorgeous, and so are your photos. Great post!

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  7. Lovely, lovely pictures, thanks for taking me on a virtual tour of Alsace. I guess this place is less known than other regions of France, but it looks so beautiful! the recipe looks absolutely delightful!

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  8. This tart looks gorgeous! And thank you for sharing pictures of your trip with us. It looks like a wonderful place to go visit.

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  9. c'est ma tarte aux pommes preferee...et je t'ai taguee si tu veux participer bien sur

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  10. Woman! This is gorgeous! And since I have a bushel of VA apples sitting in my kitchen, very helpful, as well.

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  11. What a gorgeous tart! I have traveled quite a bit around France but have never been to Alsace. It looks positively gorgeous and so different from the other regions I have seen. You have a wonderful blog - I look forward to more delicious food coming out of your kitchen.

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  12. That's a lovely tart, perfect fr this time of the year with apples coming into season.

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  13. This apple tart is absolutely gorgeous! I would so love a slice right now!

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  14. I am so jealous of your excursion! How wonderful it must be to see such beautiful places. And this tart ... well it looks divine. I love the smell of apples baking away and wish I had this tart in the oven right about now!

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  15. I am totally jealous too. Makes me want to go travel now. And your tart looks amazing!

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  16. Hi Cherine, What a beautiful tart! Apples are my favorite fruits, they are so tasty.I would love to try this recipe! Beautiful pics!

    Cheers, Aldy :)

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  17. Gorgeous photos and a wonderful tart!

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  18. What a fantastic apple desert. I have 3 apple trees in my back yard and loads of apples this year, so I am looking for some great ideas. Thanks for sharing this one.
    *kisses* HH

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  19. Cherine, that is the prettiest tart I've seen in ages. Your photos are wonderful and the recipe for the tart is perfect. It happens to be one of my favorite dishes. I love to use apricot glaze on top of it. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  20. Gorgeous tart! And, the photos are fantastic. Wish I were strolling along those streets today.

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  21. How absolutely beautiful this is. What a wonderful way to showcase apples. Lovely post!

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  22. Cherine,

    OMG this tart left me with my mouth watering.
    Your blog is beautiful. The pictures are incredible! Congrats.
    Heguiberto

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  23. Just got back from France....this and the kugelhopf my favorite!
    Beautiful photos, as always!

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  24. I've been looking for good Alsatian apple tart ever since I have visited Strasbourg, France. I loved that region. Your tart looks so good. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  25. Oh là là !! I love l'Alsace but it is your tart that I crave for !!
    yesterday, we talked about you at dinner time because I made your egg-kefta !!! You are the most popular person in my family now!!!
    Thanks for that recipe! My kids and husband adore you!

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  26. @ fromBAtoParis: ohhh I'm happy they loved it!! :)

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  27. I love this apple tart, my Alsatian friend introduce me to this tart from their village, and I am hooked immediately. Yours look so beautiful!

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  28. I've been looking for a French sweet to bake for my next post and ironically, Alsace has come up in my searches. Looks like a beautiful town, sorry not to have had the time to visit when I was in France last month. Next time, hopefully!

    Now this apple tart is gorgeous...just like your pictures. :-)

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  29. C'est exactement comme ça que j'aime et fais les tartes aux pommes. Ça fait longtemps... tu me donnes envie d'en refaire là tout de suite !

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  30. tres belle, wounderful tarte, I have been to Alsace and I have scene the original tarte and this looks the same. Great Tarte

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  31. this Tarte looks delightful, Very well put together, very nice..... i've tried to make my own but it was shit.

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  32. Today if someone asks me what you saw best then I would like to say that I saw your post best today and it is a very beautifully written post which I appreciate. And I also think that if you see someone's post and it is beautiful and well written, that should be appreciated.

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