This Gluten-Free apple tart is my new favorite dessert…the gluten free crust is very close to the “real” (read: Wheat) thing! The filling is not too sweet but very savory, a wonderful way to enjoy the sweet-tart taste those fresh fall apples that will soon be in season! The crust is easy to make and lends itself well to any recipe for pie or pastry, the dough is much easier to work with than most gluten-free pastry recipes. If you happen to not be gluten intolerant, you can just change the recipe and substitute regular flour (eliminate the xanthan gum) for the rice and tapioca flours.

I adapted this recipe from one I found in “Family Fun” magazine….it’s a great one to make together with your kids on a cold day!

Gluten Free Apple Tart

Crust:
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, sliced into small pieces (or soy butter)
2 tbs. cold sour cream (or sour cream substitute)
1/4 cup cold water

Filling:
5 large, tart apples, peeled
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup apricot or peach preserves
3 tbsp. apple jelly

Make the dough.  In a food processor, combine flours, xanthan gum, sugar and salt. Pulse once or twice to blend. Then drop the sliced butter all over the flour mixture, pulse a couple of times again to form course crumbs. Mix the water and sour cream together, slowly add while processing and continue to pulse until packable crumbs form.

Turn the dough out and pack into a large ball, then squash the ball into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for one hour (don’t chill it for much longer…I made that mistake and had to let it warm up for awhile before I could roll it!)

Put the dough on several sheets of parchment paper. I used a silpat cookie sheet liner with plastic wrap under it (thanks, Mom and Dad!). Roll the chilled dough into a large circle…around 13 or 14 inches across. You can trim it if you want, but I kind of like the unfinished look.

Now make the filling…

Quarter and core 3 apples. Slice them into thin slices…1/8 inch thick or so. Toss them with lemon juice to prevent browning. Quarter and core the remaining apples, and cut them into little 1/4 inch chunks. Put the chunks into a bowl, and mix the 1/4 cup sugar, the cornstarch, and the cinnamon with the apples. Set aside.

Spread the apricot or peach preserves over the crust, leaving some room (an inch and a half or so) around the edges of the circle.

Place the diced apple mixture over the preserves, and then arrange the sliced apples over everything. Make sure that the sliced apple circle is slightly smaller than the diced apples below.

Sprinkle one tablespoon of sugar over the apple slices. Use the parchment paper (or plastic wrap and silicon liner) to help you fold the crust over the sides of the tart. They will naturally pleat as you fold.

Bake tart on center oven rack for about 45 minutes to an hour, until golden brown and bubbly.

Remove tart from oven, heat the apple jelly in the microwave until liquid and brush the top of the apples with the jelly. Cool for 1/2 hour before slicing.

Goes great with a little Vanilla Bean ice cream!