FRENCH APPLE-ALMOND TART

French Apple-Almond Tart image

Yield Serves 10 to 12

Number Of Ingredients 18

For crust
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons Calvados or brandy
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 -inch pieces
For filling
1 1/4 cups blanched slivered almonds
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons Calvados or brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 tart green apples, peeled, quartered, cored, cut into 1/8-inch-thick wedges
1/4 cup apricot preserves

Steps:

Make crust:
Stir egg yolks and Calvados in small bowl to blend. Combine flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter; cut in, using on/off turns, until butter is size of small peas. With machine running, add yolk mixture. Process until large moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap dough in plastic; refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let soften slightly before rolling out.)
Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 14-inch round. Transfer to 11-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Fold overhang in and press, forming double-thick sides. Chill while making filling.
Make filling:
Combine almonds, 3/4 cup sugar, eggs, 1 tablespoon Calvados, extracts and salt in processor. Blend until soft paste forms. Add 4 tablespoons butter; blend 10 seconds. Spread in crust. Chill until firm, about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, stir apples, 1 tablespoon Calvados and 1 tablespoon sugar in large bowl. Let stand 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Drain apples; overlap in concentric circles atop filling. Melt 2 tablespoons butter; brush over apples. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
Bake tart 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F. Bake until apples are tender, about 45 minutes. Transfer to rack. Stir preserves and 1 tablespoon Calvados in small saucepan over low heat until preserves melt. Strain into small bowl; brush over apples. Cool. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)