Pink Applesauce Meringue Tart with Hazelnut Cookie Crust |
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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 0 Minutes Servings: 1 |
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Ingredients:
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 |
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 |
2 large egg whites |
1/3 cup sugar |
Directions:
1. 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.
2. Preheat oven to 375°F.
3. 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.
4. Spread applesauce onto crust.
5. Preheat oven to 450°F.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Bake tart in middle of oven 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden, and chill 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
9. To toast and skin hazelnuts: Preheat oven to 350°F.
10. 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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