Haystack

Triple Layered Apple Tart

The famous landmark, Haystack Rock is in our favorite beach in Cannon Beach, Oregon. When it’s low tide, you could walk up to the rock and observe little sea creatures. As you know, beaches in Oregon are not swim oriented…too cold, often gray and wind is relentless…but it surely has it’s charm and beauty.

This haystack-looking tart recipe originated from Kinzo Nishihara (西原金蔵) but is not an exact copy. The owner of the pastry shop, Au Grenier D’or (オ・グレニエ・ドール) in Kyoto which store we have not yet uncovered but it is now included in my must visit list. My goal is to do it this fall but that’s a long wait…sigh…I don’t mind going to Cannon Beach and enjoying the long walk along the water’s edge. The best time to visit is in early Summer before school gets out as later the town is really crowded with tourists.

Ingredients and Instruction to make 1- 8inch tart. (Print Recipe here) I recommend that you make the dough and apple sauce the night before.

Necessary equipment – 8 inch tart ring, food processer
Desirable equipment  - mandolin slicer, hand held blender

#1 For tart crust

• Low viscosity flour (薄力粉) 150g
• Butter cubed and chilled 75g
• Water 25ml
• 1 Egg yolk or 12g
• Salt 1/2 teaspoon

1. In food processor, add flour and chilled butter. Use the pulse button to run 20 times. Add rest of ingredients and run 20 times more. If too crumbly then run a few times more.Do not over churn it.
2. Place onto flat surface and make a block. Tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Let it rest in the refrigerator for 3 hours or over night..

#2 For Apple sauce   Note: I doubled the recipe to use left overs later

• 1 large apple (original recipe recommend Fuji)
• Granulated sugar 100g
• Lemon juice 1 Tablespoon or bit more

1. Cut apple in quarters, remove core and seeds then peel skin. Slice 1/8 inch thick.
2. Put sliced apple and sugar in sauce pan. Cook on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes stirring occasionally until apple breaks down.
3. Blend with hand held blender or put in the blender to make sauce. Note: Does not have to be smooth. Add lemon juice.
   

#3 For almond cream Yield about 200g

• Almond flour 50g
• Powdered sugar 50g
• Unsalted butter 50g room temperature
• 1 egg beaten

1. Whisk almond flour and powdered sugar in bowl. Add butter and combine well with wooden spatula
   
2. Add egg in 4 parts. Blend well

# 4 Fit crust in ring  Line large cooking sheet with parchment paper

1. Take dough crust out of refrigerator and leave on the counter for 5 minutes. Pound with wooden rolling pin to flatten. Dust surface with a little bit of flour if necessary then roll out to 1/8 inch thick.
2. Lay ring on the prepared cooking sheet and put the crust on top of it. Fit crust tight at edge of ring. Roll the pin over the ring to remove excess dough. Prick all over bottom of crust with fork. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Bake with almond cream

1. Heat oven to 360F
2. Spread almond cream ( #3) evenly on crust.
3. Bake for 20 minutes. When it’s cool down enough to handle, remove the ring.

Second bake

• 2 large apples
• 3-4 Tablespoon lemon juice
• Water
• Granulated sugar 80g

1. Core apple but leave the skin on. Shoe string cut with mandolin. Put in a bowl and cover with water and add lemon juice. Leave in the bowl for about 5 minutes.
2. Heat oven to 360 F. Spread about 1 cup apple sauce (#2) over almond tart.
3. Make one size smaller ring  than tart with foil. Put it on the top of tart.
4. Drain the lemon water very well. Put apple on the sheets of paper towel to ensure that you have removed the water. Combine the apples and the sugar. Mound the apple on top of apple sauce. Do not press. 
5. Bake for 20 minutes. After it has cooled, remove the foil ring, sprinkle powdered sugar on top to decorate.Serve with ice cream if you like.

Left over dough was used to make Asian pear tartlets. Here is the Asian pear pie filling that my husband and I canned a couple years ago.

Limited season flavor we enjoyed lately…Cherry blossom soba (buckwheat noodle) has pink hue and hint of cherry scent.

And, little too sweet but nice – Pickled Beets and Strawberry. .

Merry Christmas!…Fooled ya!