Amaretto Apple Tart

MNLisaB's Note:

Elegant fruit pastry that combines apples, amaretto liqueur, heavy cream and almonds. The crust is a bit sweeter than a normal pastry. This is adapted from a treasured Soup and Stew cookbook.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 15 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 6-8

Yield: 1.0 pie

• 5 large tart cooking apples (1.5-2 lbs)
• 2 eggs
• 1⁄3; cup sugar
• ½ cup amaretto liqueur
• 2⁄3; cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 pinch salt
• ¼ cup sliced almonds
• 1⁄3; cup apricot preserves

Press in Pastry Dough

• 1 ½ cups flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ lb chilled butter
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Prepare pastry: in medium bowl, mix flour and sugar.
2. Cut in chilled butter until crumbly.
3. Beat egg yolk and mix with vanilla.
4. With fork, stir egg mxture lightly into flour mixture.
5. Press dough together into a smooth ball, then flatten.
6. Press pastry into bottom and up the sides of an 11 inch removable bottom tart pan.
7. Peel apples and cut in halves lengthwise; remove cores.
8. Cut each half in thin lengthwise slices, keeping slices together in apple shape.
9. Arrange apples in prepared pastry shell, round sides up.
10. After placing apple rounds in pastry shell, fan out slightly to cover most of pastry.
11. In a medium bowl, beat eggs with amaretto, sugar and salt until well mixed.
12. Blend in cream and pour evenly over apples.
13. Sprinkle with almonds.
14. Bake in preheated 450* oven for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350* and bake until filling is set and apples are tender- 50 minutes to an hour.
15. Remove and place on wire rack to cool.
16. Stir preserves in small saucepan on low heat until melted and bubbly.
17. Strain to remove any solid pieces of fruit and brush glaze over pastry tart.
18. Remove pan sides and serve tart at room temperature.