Ingredients

1 recipe pastry dough, recipe follows
6 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, halved and sliced 1/8-inch thick
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 stick cold butter, sliced thin
1/2 cup apricot jam, heated and strained
Vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, as an
accompaniment

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface roll out dough into a 13-inch round and fit it into a 10-inch
tart tin with a removable fluted rim, trimming the excess. Arrange the apples
decoratively on the pastry shell, overlapping them. Sprinkle the sugar on top of the

apples, top with butter slices and bake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes or until
the crust is cooked through and the apples are golden. Brush with the heated apricot jam
while the tart is still hot. Serve each portion with a small scoop of ice cream or a
small spoonful of whipped cream. Pastry Dough
1 stick cold unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes.

To blend by hand: Blend together flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or
a pastry blender until most of mixture resembles coarse meal (roughly pea-size lumps).
Drizzle 2 tablespoons ice water evenly over and gently stir with a fork until
incorporated.

To blend in a food processor: Pulse together flour, butter, and salt in a food processor
until most of mixture resembles coarse meal (roughly pea-size lumps). Add 2 tablespoons
ice water and pulse 2 or 3 times, or just until incorporated.

Test mixture: Gently squeeze a small handful: it should hold together without crumbling
apart. If it doesn't, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring or pulsing 2
or 3 times after each addition until incorporated (keep testing). If you overwork mixture
or add too much water, pastry will be tough.

Form dough: Turn out onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your
hand, smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough
together and form it, rotating it on work surface, into a disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic
wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

Yield: 1 (9-inch) pie crust or a 10 to 11-inch tart crust