Everyone, put on your flannel shirts and boots, the leaves are changing colors and the temperature is dropping, so let’s go apple picking (or apple baking, at least)!

As someone who grew up in the Midwest, I have never thought much about fall before (yes, leaves do change colors and fall in Missouri too, but it’s just not as a big deal as it is in New England). Since I moved to Boston in 2013 though, I have gone apple picking every year and I try to check out a new orchard every time (it usually requires days of research and an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of the information on each orchard). It has also become a tradition for me to bake at least one apple bake per year using the apples that I have picked after paying way too much money for them (it’s okay, I’m just supporting local farms. Or at least that’s what I tell myself.)

Apples freshly picked and washed after a trip to Russell Orchard in 2020

Apple pies are fun and classic, but my favorite apple bake is apple rose tart. It looks amazing, actually doesn’t use that many apples, tastes great, and makes me feel like one of the impressive home bakers on the Great British Baking Show (or Great British Bake Off, if you’re in UK). I have been adapting and stitching together different recipes to make this tart every year for the last 3 years and finally I have decided to write down a recipe rather than “winging-it” this year. Another factor that’s different this year was that I attempted to make the crust and the filling gluten-free. This was a fun challenge as it had me work with new types of flours that I don’t usually get to bake with (sweet rice flour and oat flour).

If you would like to impress your colleagues by bringing in a showstopper bake to the office or impress your family (or in-laws) during the upcoming holiday season, read on for the recipe.

One of many annual apple rose tarts I baked in the past few years (pre-bake) — This was made using Pink Lady apples which gave it the beautiful pink hue

One of many annual apple rose tarts I baked in the past few years (post-bake) — This was made using Pink Lady apples which gave it the beautiful pink hue

Gluten-Free Apple Rose Frangipane Tart

Never Too Full | 10/12/2021

prep time: 45 minutes
cook time: 1 hour
total time: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

Crust (adapted from https://bojongourmet.com/gluten-free-tart-crust-almond-flour-vegan/)

1/2 cup (60 g) blanched almond flour

1/2 cup (80g) sweet white rice flour

1/2 cup (45g) oat flour (can be made by pulsing gluten-free oats in blender/food processor)

1 tbsp of sugar

1/2 tsp of fine sea salt

6 tbsp of unsalted butter (cold, in ½ inch cubes)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling (adapted from https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/77874/french-apple-tart-tarte-de-pommes-a-la-normande/)

1/2 cup of butter (softened)

1/4 cup white sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp brandy (apple brandy preferred)

2 tbsp of blanched almond flour

2/3 cup ground almonds or almond meal

1/4 tsp of almond extract (not necessary but adds more almond flavor)

1 tsp large granule sugar (for decoration)

4-5 medium or 3-4 large red apples (tart, crisp apples)

Apple glaze

Few slices of apples leftover from making the apple rose

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

Instructions:

For the crust (adapted from https://bojongourmet.com/gluten-free-tart-crust-almond-flour-vegan/)

Preheat the oven to 350F
In a food processor (I used Ninja blender), combine the 3 flours (almond, rice, and oat), sugar, and salt
Add third of the butter pieces over the top and pulse for 30 seconds, repeat the process twice more to incorporate the butter (it should form a crumbly mixture)
Grease a 9-inch tart pan (with butter or cooking spray)
Form the crust by pressing into an even layer at the bottom and on the side. Make sure to flatten the top of the side crust at the end
Store in the fridge for 15 minutes
Prebake for 15 minutes

For the filling:
(prep while crust is baking)

Cream butter and sugar in a mixer
Add in the egg and mix for 10 seconds
Add in the yolk and mix for 10 seconds
Add the apple brandy and almond extract and mix
Add in the almond meal and mix
Stir in 2 tbsp of almond flour
Store filling mix in the fridge while slicing apples
Cut the apple around the core 3 times
Slice the apples into 1/8 to ¼ inch thick slices with the flat side down

Assembly and baking:

Preheat oven to 400F
Add the frangipane mix from the fridge into the tart crust and flatten the top
Arrange the apples in rose shape starting from the outside (place the flat side of the apple slice down into the frangipane mix and place the next slice overlapping the previous one partially and repeat in a spiral pattern; It helps if you start with larger slices on the outside and use gradually smaller slices as you get closer to the center)
Bake the tart for 15 minutes
Lower the oven temperature to 350F
Cover the top of the tart with foil to prevent the apples from burning
Bake the tart for 15 minutes
Sprinkle large granule sugar on top of the tart
Bake for 20-30 minutes (Make sure to check every 10 minutes and prevent the crust and the apples from burning)
Take out of the oven and cool at room temperature

Finishing touches:

While the tart is cooling, start making the glaze by heating up the apple slices, water, and sugar over high heat
Let the glaze thicken to a syrupy consistency
Using a pastry brush, glaze the top of the tart with the apple glaze
Remove from the tart pan when the tart is cooled
Serve right away for best result or store in the fridge (I have kept it for up to 5 days in the fridge, but it looks best right after glazing)

Notes:

You can use apricot jam to glaze the tart if you have it available
Any crisp and tart apples will be perfect to use for this recipe (I have tried with following varieties of apples: Pink lady, Macoun, Macintosh, and Cortland)