Tahini Apple Tart
Published Sept. 16, 2024
- Total Time
- 2 hours 10 minutes, plus 2 hours’ chilling
- Prep Time
- 40 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour and 30 minutes, plus 2 hours’ chilling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1½cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1tablespoon sugar
- 1¼teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- ¾cup/170 grams unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, chilled
- Ice water, as needed
- ⅓cup tahini
- 3tablespoons sugar
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1large egg
- ¼teaspoon kosher salt
- 2pounds crisp, tart apples such as Honeycrisp or Pink Lady (about 6 medium apples)
- 1tablespoon cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 3tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 1teaspoon ground cardamom
- Heavy cream, for brushing
- 1 to 2tablespoons white sesame seeds
- Vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or crème fraîche, for serving
For the Dough
For the Sesame Spread
For the Filling and Assembly
Preparation
- Step 1
For the Dough: Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Dump in the cold butter and toss until coated in the flour mixture, separating any pieces that stick together. Use your fingers to smush and flatten each piece once.
- Step 2
Drizzle ¼ cup ice water over the flour mixture. Repeatedly run your fingers through the mixture, as if rummaging through a drawer, until combined. The dough will start out looking dry then become very shaggy. Transfer to a clean work surface and use your palms to knead the dough together, forming a ball with no dry spots. You may need an additional tablespoon or two of ice water to help the dough come together, but even then it will be shaggy, not smooth or shiny.
- Step 3
Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and use your hands to flatten it into a round disc about 1-inch thick. Chill for 2 hours or up to 3 days.
- Step 4
Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and roll out the dough, turning it to prevent it from sticking between rolls, into a 14-inch round. Gently gather both ends of the dough and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate the dough while you make the sesame spread and apple filling.
- Step 5
For the sesame spread: Whisk the tahini, sugar, butter, egg and salt together in a medium bowl until smooth. (You can make the sesame spread 5 days ahead; just bring to room temperature before using, so it spreads easily.)
- Step 6
For the filling: Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel, core and thinly slice the apples (see Tip). Toss the apple slices, vinegar, sugar and the cardamom together in a large bowl until the sugar feels like it has dissolved.
- Step 7
Remove the dough from the fridge and plop the sesame spread in the center. Use the back of a spoon to evenly distribute the sesame spread, leaving a 2-inch border. Arrange the apples on top in whatever manner you like. Fold the edges of the dough over the apples to form the crust, then brush the dough with heavy cream and sprinkle with sesame seeds and more sugar.
- Step 8
Bake on the bottom rack for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the crust is deeply golden brown and the apples are tender. Let cool for 20 minutes before slicing and serving with the topping of your choice.
- One efficient way to peel, core and thinly slice apples is to first use a vegetable peeler to remove the peels, starting from the stem end and working your way down to the root end. Then, place the apples upright and, using a chef's knife, cut each apple around its core into three pieces, cutting straight down and slightly rotating the apples between cuts. Slice each piece into thin half-moons.
Private Notes
Comments
I used only one tablespoon of sugar in the spread, one tablespoon of sugar in the filling, substituted avocado oil for the butter, and used a purchased frozen pie shell. It was delicious! I’m going out to the farmers market to get more apples & make it again.
In the TIP section of the recipe, reference is made to the “root end” of the apple. Obviously, only the tree itself has roots. The end of the apple being referenced in the recipe is the “blossom end”, or “calyx”—the dry remains of the flower.
Fresh tahini isn't bitter. Get a good brand. Whole Foods 365 is good.
This is an unusual apple dessert, very appealing (no pun intended) because it feels decadent without being too sweet. I had to bake much longer than instructed for the crust to brown. Also I highly recommend serving it warm. At room temperature the crust didn’t reflect its full potential.
How long will the tart keep? If I want to serve it the day after I bake it, will that be ok? Or is there a way to assemble everything including the apples and keep them from turning brown and bake it the next day?
I made my crust with 365 whole wheat pastry flour and a sprinkle of cardamom and vanilla bean powder (otherwise following a recipe by Stella Parks from SE). I then cut that dough into circles and placed in a muffin tin for mini pies. the apple slices formed nicely into rosettes and the tahini spread complimented the apples beautifully. The tahini is a brilliant idea if you have a family that isn't into sweets, the nutty balance is beautiful.