Recipe and Photo: Apple Tart with Jalapeno

Here is the recipe that some of my friends requested when I posted a pic of our finished tart on FB.

Apple Tart with Jalapeno

Pastry

1/2 cup chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

3 tbs granulated sugar

1 egg

3-4 tbs cold water

Filling

2 tbs jalapeño jelly

4 cups Granny Smith apples (about 3), peeled, cored, and sliced

1 tbs fresh lemon juice

1 tbs granulated sugar

1 tbs unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp grd cinnamon

1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

2 tbs packed brown sugar

2 tsp minced jalapeño chili

Topping

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

3/4 cup grated Monterey jack cheese 

Crust:

Place butter, flour, sugar and salt in a food processor or medium bowl and process or cut with two knives or a pastry cutter it until the mixture resembles a course meal. Add the egg and enough water to form a stiff dough. Shape the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours or overnight. With a rolling pin, roll the dough onto a lightly floured board to a thickness of 1/8 inch and fit the dough into a 10 inch springform tart pan. Prick the bottom of the shell with a fork and refrigerate until ready to use.

Filling:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread the jalapeño jelly evenly over the bottom of the tart shell. Toss the apples and lemon juice together in a large bowl. In another bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar. Sprinkle the dry mixture over the apples; toss well and turn into the prepared tart shell. Sprinkle the minced jalapeño over the apples.

Topping

In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar and flour; cut in the butter with a fork or pastry blender. Add the cheese and mix well. Spoon topping evenly over the Apple filling.

Bake the tart until the topping and crust are golden brown, about 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 8-10.

Anne's Notes:

• I did not have enough time to cool the dough as directed, so I rolled the dough between plastic wrap (it's fairly sticky), placed in tart pan, then refrigerated it while I worked on the filling.
• I substituted cheddar cheese for the Monterey Jack with great results.

Recipe Adapted from the Southwest: The Beautiful Cookbook.