Apples dashed with brandy make this simple tart with an oatmeal crumble topping shine, and gives the perfect excuse to enjoy with a dollop of ice cream.
There are few things that bring a family together more than those centered around food. For the Anderson family, the heartbeat of their kitchen is the door to their soul.
In their memoir, Three Many Cooks: One Mom, Two Daughters, Their Shared Stories of Food, Faith and Family acclaimed cookbook writer Pam Anderson and her two daughters Maggie Keet and Sharon Damelio, weave the good, the bad and the funny recollections of their mother daughter relationships with well-loved family recipes into one of my favorite books of the summer.
How to Make This Rustic Apple Tart
This recipe for quick apple tart (the apples are dashed with brandy!) is just one of Pam’s contributions to the book. It comes from the chapter in which she describes her time as the food editor to the then start-up Cooks Illustrated, where she wrote, created, and tirelessly tested recipes under its founder Chris Kimball for the next nine years.
Following is her recipe for Quick Rustic Apple Tart with Oatmeal Crumble Topping. It’s just one more reason to cheers Three Many Cooks for giving us an entire book of reasons to connect with one another over food.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a 
rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Rustic Apple Tart
Ingredients
- For the Tarts
- 1 recipe Perfect Apple Pie Filling with Cinnamon and Cognac
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts from at 16.7-ounce package
- For the Oatmeal Crumble Topping
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup old-fashioned oatmeal
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons butter melted by not hot
- For the Perfect Apple Pie Filling with Cinnamon and Cognac
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 pounds crisp firm apples such as Granny Smith, cored, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick, about 12 heaping cups
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- For the Tarts
- Prepare Perfect Apple Pie Filling with Cinnamon and Cognac and refrigerate. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, mix the flour, oatmeal, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir in the butter with a fork until well combined then use your fingers to form clumps.
- Unroll one of the refrigerated pie doughs and place it onto one side of a 12 X 18-inch baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a Silpat liner. Spoon half of the apple filling onto the dough, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Bring pie dough over filling, pleating it to fit. Sprinkle a portion of the crumble topping over the exposed filling.
- Repeat the process with the remaining dough, filling and crumble. Bake until golden brown, 40-45 minutes. Cool slightly, serve warm with ice cream if you’d like. The tart can be made several hours ahead of time and warmed in a 300 degree F oven for 15 minutes.
- For the Perfect Apple Pie Filling with Cinnamon and Cognac
- Mix sugar, cinnamon, and salt; toss with the apples. Heat butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until it looks pale nutty brown. Add apple mixture; cover and cook until the apples soften and release their juices, about 7 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until juices thicken to a light syrup, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
- Meanwhile, whisk cornstarch, brandy, and vanilla in 1 cup of water. Stir into apple mixture until it thickens, less than a minute. Transfer apples to a jelly roll pan to cool quickly. Refrigerate or set in a cool place until apples cool to room temperature.
- Recipe reprinted from Three Many Cooks: One Mom, Two Daughters, Their Shared Stories of Food, Faith and Family
Thank you Three Many Cooks for being our foodie crush. Purchase their memoir/cookbook here and visit their blog here.
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Jane Boice
Can you use just one pie crust instead of two? How many people will one serve?
Ashley Sorenson
6-8 depending on slices. You could!
David Henry
Lovely site with another yummy recipe Thanks
Peter Selby
Wow, this article is good, my sister is analyzing these things, so I am going to inform her.
Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps
I need to pick up a copy of their book, as an avid cookbook reader, it sounds like something I could completely get lost in. If this tart is any reflection of what’s in the book, I’m in for a treat. It’s so beautiful.
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
There’s nothing better than a good apple tart, this is gorgeous!
Cookin Canuck
I adore these three and loved hearing their different voices in their book. And this tart…it looks like the ultimate autumn dessert!
Gaby Dalkin
I’ve already decided I need this tart in my holiday plans. what a lovely story of family and food! truly beautiful
Katrina
Desserts like these get me SO EXCITED! I absolutely love free form pies and baked goods!
Laura (Blogging Over Thyme)
I’m a huge sucker for a tart that has a crumble topping! This one is beautiful and I loved all of the questions that you asked! Such a fun read. xo
Tori
This tart looks insanely amazing and what a great interveiw! I’ll have to get a copy of that book!