Apple tart is one of my all-time favorite desserts, and I like making it just as much as I enjoy a piece. This mini pecan apple tart combines between apples, pecans, honey and spice and are perfect for Rosh Ha’Shana feast.
Photo: Natalie Levin
Mini Pecan Apple Tart with Honey and Spice
Servings 12 7 cm mini tarts or 1 24 cm round tart pan
Ingredients
For spices crust:
- 150 grams all-purpose flour
- 100 grams cold butter cut into cubes
- 40 grams icing sugar
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp. Ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 1-2 tbsp. cold milk as needed
For pecan, honey and apple filling:
- 100 grams pecans
- 75 grams butter
- 50 grams light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 small diced apple
For vanilla Chantilly cream:
- 250 ml. heavy cream
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. cream stabilizer or instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 tbsp. sugar powder
For caramelized apple cubes:
- 2 Granny Smith apples
- 50 grams sugar
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 10 grams butter
- Ground cinnamon for serving
Instructions
Crust:
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In a food processor with a steel blade put flour, butter, powdered sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, vanilla and salt and blend until mixture is crumbly.
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Add egg yolk and continue to blend just until large clumps of dough form. If the dough is not setting, gradually add a little milk.
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Transfer the dough chunks on a lightly floured work surface and form a disc-shape with your hands.
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Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.
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Roll out the dough on a floured work surface about 3-4 mm thick and cut out circles about 8-9 cm in diameter. Line the tartelette molds. It is important to create a right angle between the sides and the base of the crust, which will ensure the edges remain high when baking.
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Using a fork create holes in the crust of each tartelette. Freeze the tartelette crusts for about 30 minutes before baking.
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Preheat oven to 170c degrees.
Blind baking:
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Put a sheet of heat-resistant plastic wrap or baking paper over each tartelette and fill with dry beans or special weights for baking.
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Bake for about 10-12 minutes.
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Remove the weights and the plastic wrap and continue to bake the crust for about 2-3 minutes or until it is very lightly golden.
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Cool at room temperature.
Pecan, honey and apple filling:
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In a food processor with a steel blade put pecans, butter, sugar and honey and blend until crumbly.
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Add egg and flour and continue to blend until very thick cream is formed.
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Cut the apples into small cubes.
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Fill the half-baked crust with cream up to 2/3 height of its height. Put a few apple cubes on the cream.
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Bake for about 10-13 minutes or until cream is golden.
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Cool completely at room temperature.
Vanilla Chantilly cream:
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In a bowl of a mixer whip cream, sugar powder, stabilizer and vanilla until you get very stable cream is formed.
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Transfer the whipped cream into a piping bag with a serrated 2-3 cm piping tip. Drizzle rose-shaped cream over each tartelette and cool in the refrigerator.
Caramelized apple cubes:
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Peel apples and dice into 2*2 cm cubes.
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Put sugar in a small pan and form caramel.
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Add diced apples, lemon juice and butter.
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Reduce the heat and simmer the apples in caramel for about 2-3 minutes, until the apples soften slightly, but still stable.
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Strain the cubes from caramel and place apple cubes on a lightly oiled plate. Cool completely.
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Decorate the tartelettes with caramelized apple cubes and sprinkle a little cinnamon on top.
Recipe Notes
- Keep the mini tarts in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- You can use pears instead of apples.
- Add and/or omit spices according to your personal taste.
- You can use maple or date syrup instead of honey.
Photo: Natalie Levin