PINK APPLESAUCE MERINGUE TART WITH HAZELNUT COOKIE CRUST

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Pink Applesauce Meringue Tart with Hazelnut Cookie Crust image

Categories     Fruit     Nut     Dessert     Bake     Apple     Plum     Fall     Hazelnut     Gourmet

Number Of Ingredients 16

For applesauce filling
2 1/2 pounds McIntosh apples (about 6)
1 pound purple or red plums (about 4), halved and pitted
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For cookie crust
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned (procedure follows)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg yolk beaten lightly with 2 tablespoons water
For meringue
2 large egg whites
1/3 cup sugar

Steps:

  • Make applesauce filling:
  • Quarter and core apples (do not peel). In a 5-quart saucepan simmer apples, uncovered, with remaining filling ingredients 2 hours, or until mixture is reduced to about 3 3/4 cups. (Stir mixture frequently during last 30 minutes of cooking to prevent scorching.) Force mixture through a food mill fitted with coarse disk or a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids, and chill. Applesauce may be made up to 3 days ahead and chilled, covered.
  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Make cookie crust:
  • In a food processor grind hazelnuts fine with sugar, flour, and salt. Add butter and pulse mixture well. Add yolk mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, and pulse mixture until it forms a dough. Press dough onto bottom and up side of a 10-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim. Bake crust in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until browned lightly, and cool in pan on a rack. Crust may be made 3 days ahead and kept, covered, in a cool dry place.
  • Spread applesauce onto crust.
  • Preheat oven to 450°F.
  • Make meringue:
  • In a bowl with an electric mixer beat egg whites with a pinch salt until they hold soft peaks. Add sugar gradually, beating whites until they hold stiff peaks.
  • Transfer meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip and pipe some in a lattice pattern over filling. Pipe remaining meringue onto edge of tart to make a decorative border.
  • Bake tart in middle of oven 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden, and chill 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
  • To toast and skin hazelnuts:
  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • In a baking pan toast hazelnuts in one layer in oven 10 to 15 minutes, or until colored lightly, and skins blister. Wrap nuts in a kitchen towel and let steam 1 minute. Rub nuts in towel to remove as much of skins as possible and cool.

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