Crispy, Crackly Apple-Almond Tart

French Friday with Dorie

What a difference a week makes. Remember last week when it was still in the 100s here? Well, this week it is in the 70s and we even got a few rain showers. I was inspired by the change in weather to put some pumpkins and calendulas out on the front porch. And I was more than happy to turn the oven on this week. This is my first French Friday in months and I was glad that the recipe was a dessert. I've had a roll of phyllo dough in the freezer for over a year and this tart was my chance to finally use some of it. I also have a large bag of almonds in the freezer, so I decided to make my own almond flour. It didn't turn out as fine as store bought, but I actually liked the little bits of almond in the cream which gave it a nice texture.

I did a couple of things a little differently than the recipe. After spreading each phyllo sheet with melted butter, I sprinkled them with a sugar and cinnamon mixture and before putting the tart in the oven I brushed some warm honey on each apple slice and brushed each slice with honey again after I took the tart out of the oven.

Although it looked a little messy going into the oven, it baked up nicely and I really liked the rustic look with the curled up edges.

I served it slightly warm with a small scoop of mascarpone cheese. John preferred it plain, but I liked the combination of the cheese with the apples, honey and almonds. And the texture was wonderful - every bit of crispy, crackly as its name implies. Visit French Fridays with Dorie to see more versions of this tart.

French Friday with Dorie: Gérard’s Mustard Tart

The recipe for this week's French Friday with Dorie is a mustard tart and it is the first savory tart that I have ever made. It calls for thinly sliced carrots and leeks which I bought, but Dorie writes in her book that a more traditional tart is made with tomatoes and since heirloom tomatoes are still available for at least a little while longer here I decided to make it with a large heirloom tomato instead.

One lesson I learned while making this is that it probably is a good idea not to answer the telephone when you put the tart in the oven. My brother called long distance and I was on the phone when the timer went off. Normally I would check its progress and take it out before it got this brown.

Luckily, however, the extra golden brown didn't hurt the flavor of the tart. It was creamy, yet also had a bit of texture with the grainy mustard in it. I loved the tartness of the mustard, but my husband thought it tasted too 'mustardy.' He loved the taste of the tart shell though. I am going to make another tart this weekend with the carrots and leeks and adjust the amount of mustard to hopefully please both our palates. Bon appétit!

Next French Friday: Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup