Apple Tart

Fall is here, and to me that means apple season! I adore apples of every kind and every year we go to Hood River and get boxes full of various apples to use all winter long. The farm stand we visit is Kiyokawa Farm, you can locate it by visiting their website (http://www.mthoodfruit.com/). I will be visiting the fruitstand sometime in mid-end October, can't wait!

This recipe is very easy to make and it is so beautiful to serve. While I didn't write this recipe from scratch, I did tweak it to my taste, so I will be posting my version:

Ingredients

Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup confectioners sugar

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Filling:

1 8-oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup white sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Topping:

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3 large apples, peeled and cut into slices (I used jonagold apples because it is what I had on hand when I made this, but feel free to use whatever kind of apple you like)

1/2 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted

Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 450 F and place the rack in the center of the oven

Spray a 9 inch springform pan with Pam

Crust: In the bowl of your food processor, place the flour and sugar and pulse to blend together. Slowly add the butter and pulse until the dough comes together. Lay the dough into the bottom and halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate one hour.

Filling: In a food processor, process the cream cheese with the sugar until it is smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and process until the mixture is creamy. Remove the crust from the refrigerator adn pout in the filling, return to the refrigerator while you prepare the topping.

Topping: In a bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Toss in the sliced apples and coat with the sugar mixture. Spread the apples over the cream cheese layer and sprinkle with the almonds. Place the springform pan on a larger baking sheet to catch any drips.

Bake at 450 F for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400 F and bake for about 30 minutes or until the apples are soft when pierced with a fork and the filling is almost set. Remove and cool slightly before removing from the springform pan. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and serve at room temperature or slightly warm.

Enjoy!