Thin Apple Tart & Linguine With Scallops And Roasted Beets
My grandmother used to say "Sundays are good for apple tart". I have to agree, and add that any day is good for apple tart. But also, days begging for a warm embrace, a soft kiss and a little balm to the soul are greatly improved with a slice of my grandmother’s apple tart. Especially when shared with friends.
I believe our friends have heard my stories about my grandparents and family a million times over. That’s part being proud to be of their flesh and blood, part being away and nostalgic, part keeping connected across the miles with some basic traditions. Such as gathering with friends and listening to their stories as well.
This past week has been trying for my family back home, leaving me with the need to get in the kitchen and cook and bake comforting family recipes. The one that were never handwritten, passed down from mother to daughter. The ones that were shared among friends around a cup of tea. The ones prefaced with a simple phrase "well, that’s just one way of doing it…"
I often think of the recipes I was given by family members as the backbone for what I am doing today. I always think about who, among my family members, would enjoy a few gingerbread cookies, who would come share a little seafood pasta for lunch on a last minute notice? The stories associated with food or gatherings always fuel my own photoshoots as much as the actual dishes already do.
It can be a tough navigating act to keep balanced, energized and creative during the holiday seasons while navigating the million gazillion things we all have to do. Writing, crafting, keeping kids busy, baking goodies to share, etc… I find it helpful to balance nutritious, health boosting main courses with sweet little indulgences here and there.
A big bowl of crab soup and a little chocolate rice pudding. A big salad and a scoop of ice cream or sorbet. You get the idea. Find balance in what makes you happy.
Last week, a bowl of linguine with parsley lime marinated scallops and roasted beets followed by a slice of my grandmother’s apple tart was key to my own peace. A typical thin crumbly French crust, topped with a layer of vanilla bean applesauce then covered with thin slices of apples. Crispy and buttery smooth at the same time.
And if it’s having dessert first once in a blue moon or a little extra pasta on your plate…by all means, do.
Thin Apple Tart:
Note: my grandmother used to say that the only good thing about Golden Delicious apples was that they made great applesauce (apple compote). I tend to follow her thought and much prefer this way than fresh. The flesh and skin become so soft and buttery that you don’t have to peel them (but feel free to if you prefer, especially if using non organic apples or a different kind). My grandma’s applesauce is something of a family remedy with us…
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 tablespoons (20gr) slivered almonds
1/2 (60gr) cup powdered sugar, unsifted, divided
1/2 stick (57gr) unsalted butter, at room temperature
pinch of salt
3/4 cup (90gr) Jeanne’s gluten free all-purpose flour mix
1 egg yolk
Directions:
Place almonds and 1 tablespoon powdered sugar in a food processor. Pulse until the nuts are finely ground. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter, ground nuts and salt on medium speed until well-combined. Slowly add remaining powdered sugar and flour and mix well. Add the egg yolk and mix until incorporated. Shape dough into a ball and flatten into a disc. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours or overnight.
Place the dough in between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper and roll it out to about 1/4-inch thick round.
Place in a 9-inch tart pan, trim the edges. Prick the dough with a fork and refrigerate 30 minutes up to 2 hours. (you can even freeze the dough in the tart pan at this point and let thaw in the fridge overnight when you are ready).
In the meantime, prepare the applesauce.
Apple Compote: (you can prepare it up to 2 days in advance)
1/2 vanilla bean
2 tablespoons sugar
6 medium Golden Delicious apples
1/4 cup to 1/3 cup (60 to 80ml) water
On a flat surface, cut the vanilla bean in half lenghtwise without cutting all the way through and scrape the seeds from the pods with a pairing knife. Place them in a large saucepan along with the sugar. Set aside.
Core and roughly chop the apples. Add them to the vanilla and sugar mixture along with the water. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Turn the heat down, cover and let the apples stew for about 1 hour. Check every 20 minutes to and add water to the mixture if the liquid evaporates faster than the apples can cook. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Scoop about 1 1/2 cups applesauce inside the prepared tart pan.
Apple Topping:
2 tablespoons (15gr) granulated sugar
zest of half a lemon
2-3 medium apples
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
Preheat oven to 350F and position a rack in the middle.
In a small bowl, rub together the sugar and lemon zest so that the citrus natural oils can flavor the sugar.
Core and thinly slice the apples. Decoratively arrange the slices over the compote and sprinkle evenly with the sugar. Scatter the butter over the tart shell.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top appples are golden brown.
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Linguine With Roasted Beets and Lemon Parsley Scallops:
Serves 2
Ingredients:
juice and zest of one lime
1/4 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 to 6 sea scallops
4 mini beets or 2 medium/large (color of your choice)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 pound linguine (I went with gluten free but use the pasta of your choice)
Directions:
In a glass or non reactive bowl, place the juice and zest from the lime, the parsley, garlic cloves and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Mix briefly with a spoon and add the scallops. Spoon some of the marinade over the scallops and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375F and position a rack in the middle.
Place the beets in a baking dish, add the teaspoon of oil, some salt and pepper and roast for about 20-25 minutes. Let cool, peel and cut in halves or quarters depending on the size.
When about ready to eat, place a large pot of water on the stove and cook the linguine until al dente according to package directions.
In the meantime, heat a large non stick pan over medium heat. Remove the scallops from the marinade (do not throw it away), cook the scallops about 2-3 minutes on each side.
In a large bowl, toss the pasta with a spoonful of the marinade, divide the pasta among 2 bowls, add the beets and scallops and serve.
Comments
mayssam @ Will Travel for Food December 6, 2011 um 9:58 pm
How do you get the tart so perfect?? It's absolutely gorgeous! And I say everyday is apple tart day also! 🙂
Unknown December 6, 2011 um 10:22 pm
Gorgeous pictures, both the tart and the pasta look amazing!
argone December 6, 2011 um 10:23 pm
Elle est superbe cette tarte, merci !
Unknown December 6, 2011 um 10:56 pm
agreed. gorgeous. thanks for creating my dinner menu this thursday 😉
la domestique December 6, 2011 um 11:18 pm
What beautiful light on that apple tart! I love the softness of it and the different shapes and textures in the picture. I often make family recipes when I need to feel connected to loved ones far away. It's a comfort.
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga December 6, 2011 um 11:25 pm
absolutely gorgeous!
food ART!!!
Anne Marie December 6, 2011 um 11:26 pm
Helene, I agree. You have such a knack for the most gorgeous arrangement and presentation of food. Perfect apple slices. It looks like you did not even cook it. Also, I agree with your grandmother regarding Golden Delicious….uh, not so "delicious" (unless cooked).
Finally, I too have a vanilla bean apple sauce, but I add pears to it. (I posted on it a couple of moths ago.) I think it's a heavenly way to use up an empty vanilla pod.
Bev Weidner (Bev Cooks) December 6, 2011 um 11:51 pm
Every. Single. Thing. Is. Perfection.
I miss you!
Lauren December 7, 2011 um 12:34 am
You've put some of my favorite foods together here, and that tart is just stunning! Like a flower. I am not a baker, but my grandmothers were. Your post makes me think of them.
beti December 7, 2011 um 2:42 am
the apple tart is truly beautiful
Kay December 7, 2011 um 6:10 am
Helene, my favourite pasta is linguine and yours looks simply amazing! 🙂
Valérie (France) December 7, 2011 um 12:56 pm
Très appétissante et très joliment dressée
Je te souhaite une excellente journée
Valérie
Susan Lindquist December 7, 2011 um 2:17 pm
What a lovely post … and such wise commentary on handling the hub-bub of holiday chaos … your tart is a nice light version with that applesauce base … just beautiful and the scallops look gorgeous with that lime and parsley dressing …
Anonymous December 7, 2011 um 3:08 pm
That tart looks amazing!
SkinnyMommy December 7, 2011 um 4:27 pm
Absolutely beautiful-You manage to make food breathtaking!
Shelby December 7, 2011 um 5:00 pm
What a delectable post!! Such enticing pictures & recipes… carrying on traditions of the family kitchen is sooo important! Thank you for the inspiration!
Anonymous December 7, 2011 um 5:12 pm
WOW! How did you make the apple tart topping! It's fantastic so thinly sliced! And it's gluten free even better more and more of my friends are telling me their gluten intolerant 🙂
Jen Laceda | Milk Guides December 7, 2011 um 5:49 pm
I LOVE how the apple tart looks. How did you maintain the bright colour of the apples without lemon juice on it? (I dislike putting lemon juice on fruits just to stop discolouration).
By the way, love your Plate to Pixel book!!!
Sini December 7, 2011 um 5:53 pm
One of the most beautiful apple tarts I've ever seen! Have to make it asap.
tori December 7, 2011 um 6:13 pm
An apple tart is a thing of beauty. Yours is breathtaking.
Helene December 7, 2011 um 6:33 pm
Jen: if you do it fast, there is no need for lemon juice.
Dena December 7, 2011 um 7:54 pm
Another beautiful post. The apple tart looks AMAZING. Must make soon.
scot walters December 7, 2011 um 11:30 pm
Absolutely wonderful stuff. You may be my favorite new site. I'm a retired chef (you're never really retired,though). I'm now a fat loss specialist and you've touched on two things; balance and real food. Keep it up!
Dmarie December 8, 2011 um 1:30 am
wow, this post blows me away!
Yuri December 8, 2011 um 1:44 pm
Gorgeous apple tart and linguini! Your pretty photos tell everything and make me so hungry (@ 10:30 pm in Japan!)
hännah December 9, 2011 um 3:03 am
This looks like such a satisfying dinner. I've got to admit to having a pretty robust sweet tooth and I usually like to finish my day with a treat. Something homemade like this to finish a light pasta dish is perfect.
Honey for Jam December 10, 2011 um 12:23 pm
Oh this apple tart looks amazing!! Truly beautiful photo's, very clever!!
Anonymous December 10, 2011 um 4:01 pm
This all sounds so lovely. I used to love golden delicious apples fresh, but…. I've realized how dumb that was 😛
Skyzlimit December 13, 2011 um 1:19 am
Hello! I just made everything in this post today and I must say that your tart recipe is fantastic!!! It is not overly sweet and I was able to make the topping with two large Jonagold apples. I wasn't sure if the Jonagold's would affect the flavor (those were the only ones available to me today), but it still came out delicious! I will be making this again and again. The pasta was very yummy as well (I really liked the subtle lime flavor), but the tart stole the show tonight. We ate half of it already. Thank you for the recipes and keep up the beautiful posts!!
erica December 13, 2011 um 2:15 am
ah, the layer of vanilla-scented apple compote in that tart looks and sounds luscious! and almonds in the crust? what a delicious pairing!
The Whimsical Wife December 13, 2011 um 3:00 am
What a beautiful apple tart! A masterpiece! The scallop pasta just looks perfectly simple and delicious! Thanks for such wonderful inspiration!
DeskSnacker December 17, 2011 um 4:14 pm
Those scallops look great! I have always purchased fresh scallops, maybe 4 to 8 at a time for meals, but found a bag of frozen scallops in the fish department on sale. I have to say, they really do taste as fresh as those purchased in the case. They all have been previously frozen anyway and this way, they're like a "pantry staple". I'm going to check out this recipe now, bye. And thanks for sharing!
Chiffon December 24, 2011 um 7:20 am
I'm very appreciative of your coverage of your grandfather. It helped me to feel the very essence of the human spirit!
-Also, I'm very much looking forward to following your basic French macaroon recipe in the not too distant future!
-Thank you & Happy Holidays 🙂
Anonymous March 31, 2013 um 3:57 pm
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Anonymous April 1, 2013 um 3:58 am
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Bouillon de Notes September 7, 2013 um 3:05 pm
Thank you for this gorgeous apple pie, the pictures are awesome delicate and terribly tempted, a good start for a nice week end, have a nice day, and thank you for sharing, liên