More Than Burnt Toast

I wanted to bake something a bit different for my boyfriend’s birthday BBQ, so I opted for a simple apple tart that I found at The Family Kitchen.

It was super simple and the glaze had a refreshing orange zest kick to it. You can use a pre-made crust, but I always prefer homemade crusts. Anyway… enjoy!

Simple Apple Tart (adapted from the Smitten Kitchen by way of Alice Waters)

for the crust
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons cold butter
1/4 cup ice water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

for the tart filling
3 granny smith apples
2 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar
good pinch salt

for the glaze
apple cores and peels
1/2 cup sugar
zest and juice of 1 orange
1/2 cup water

In the bowl of your food processor, combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Drop in the butter and pulse several times until the dough has a sandy texture. Drizzle in the water and pulse just until combined. You can also mix the flour by hand, and cut in the butter with a pastry knife, and then mix in the water just until combined.

Scoop the dough out onto a lightly floured board gather into a round disc. Wrap the  round in plastic and refrigerate for a half-hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into an 11” round, and then press it into a well-buttered tart pan. Fold any excess dough into the sides of the tart.

Wash and peel, and core the apples, reserving the peels and cores. Slice the apples into 1/8” thick slices. Starting on the outer edge, arrange the apple slices in a tight circle, working your way toward the middle. Brush the apples with the 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Sprinkle the apples with the salt, and then 3 tablespoons of sugar.

Place the tart on a rimmed baking sheet and then into the oven. Bake for 45 minutes, until the dough is golden and the edges of the apples have browned. Rotate the tart pan halfway through. Let tart cool for 15 minutes.

While the tart is baking, combine the apple peels and cores, orange zest, sugar, juice and water in a medium saucepan. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add extra water if needed. Strain the glaze, cool, and brush on the tart just before serving.

That’s exactly what it looks like. A giant s’more… cake. I’ve always wanted to make something like this and found it over at The Birthday Blog and couldn’t resist. Challenge accepted for a dear friend’s birthday. So my handsome-devil-sous-chef-boyfriend and I created probably the most awesome cake ever.

I chose to use actual chocolate for the s’more. If you don’t want to deal with melting it down and everything, you could also use chocolate frosting.

Melt one large (24oz) bag of semi-sweet chocolate morsels, stirring until it is smooth and then pour it into a pan lined with wax paper. Let it set up. It may take several hours. I let it cool a bit and then tossed it in the fridge for about an hour, removing again to let it finish harden on its own. After it hardens if it has streaks, get a dry rag and “buff” the chocolate. The streaking is usually only on the surface and you can lessen the streaks by doing this.

GIANT GRAHAM CRACKER RECIPE

• 2 sticks of butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup dark corn syrup

Cream these together and then add

• 2 tsp baking soda
• 4 cups flour
• 4 tablespoons water

Chill for 30 minutes before rolling out on wax paper and then cut the dough to be about 9 inches by 10 inches.

I used the end of a wooden spoon to make that pattern like on a real graham cracker.

Bake each cracker for 15 minutes each at 375 degrees.  This way they will be hard enough to hold their shape and crunchy like a cracker. If you want it softer (like a sugar cookie) bake it for less time. I baked the bottom cracker for 15 minutes and the top for 18 to ensure it wouldn’t flop. (Note: Make sure they’re cooled completely before moving them or else they might crack)

We made a two-layered round white cakes and frosted it with vanilla frosting. You can either make your own cake/frosting or just used the boxed kind. We had the idea to put marshmallow cream between the two cakes but time was on our heels and we had to head out the door… sounds yummy though.

Anyway, the cake was a huge hit and everyone wanted s’more of it. I wish I had better pictures of it - if any are sent to me I’ll be sure to post them!

Serving Note: I removed the top graham cracker and sliced the cake normally. Each piece was served with a broken piece of the graham cracker and a piece of the chocolate.

I guess it makes sense now that strawberry season is pretty much over, but the bodega near my apartment has full cartons of them for only $1. Kid you not. Some were pretty funky looking but I lucked out and got a carton with only one or two duds in it. Blueberries as well! Decided to slice some up for dessert tonight and rather than using sugar, heavy cream or cool whip, I put a nice dollop of low-fat vanilla yogurt on top.

I also have a whole seedless watermelon waiting to be sliced but that’s for another day, another post.