Autumn is apple season, and when you say apples, you say Apple Tart.

But everyone has their own recipe and preferences. As for me, I take the time to choose my apples carefully and mix four heirloom varieties from New England to vary the aromas and texture, so then I don’t have to use spices in my recipe. If you take the time to go to the apple orchard farm or your local farmer market, you will easily find these varieties that I advise you to use (or similar ones).

Apples needed for a 10'' round tart:

• 1 Alexander
• 2 American Beauty
• 2 Arkansas Black
• 2 Baldwin

Ingredients

• 1 short crust pastry dough (1 pound, recipe below)
• 1/2 cup organic turbinado sugar
• 1 Tablespoon real organic vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pure maple sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• All apples cut into 1/2-inch edge slices (with skin) and submerged in a bowl filled with cold water.

The Short Crust Pastry Dough

• 1 cup organic all-purpose flour
  5 oz unsalted butter, softened (so taken out of the fridge ahead of time)
• 1/3 cup organic turbinado sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 pinch of fine salt
• 1 tablespoon cold water

In your stand mixer (e.g. KitchenAid), with a Flex Edge beater scraper:

Add flour & salt and mix on speed 1 (slow) for one minute. Add the butter in small wedges, one at a time. When the butter starts to form crumbs with the flour, set your mixer to speed 2 for two minutes. Add the egg and gently add half the water. Leave the mixer running, and if after 3 minutes the dough has not formed a ball around the scraper, add the other half of the water. When the dough has formed a ball, stop the mixer. Wrap the dough tightly (in a firm ball) in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

The Tart:

Set your oven to 375F.

Grease your tart pan with butter and lightly flour it all over the surface. Flatten your dough into a 16'' to 17'' circle, then place it gently on the tart dish so the excess dough remains over the edge of the tart pan. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and vanilla. Add the apples and mix well so that all the apples are well soaked. Carefully place the wedges in a circle around the pan and place the rest of the messy apples in the center of the tart. Fold the sides of the dough over the wedges. With a pastry brush, brush the overlapping dough with a mixture of egg yolk and water. Place the tart in the oven on the center rack of the oven and bake for 30 to 45 minutes. The tart is ready when the overlapping crust is golden brown. Sprinkle the tart with maple sugar and let cool. Serve at room temperature with Maple Sugar Ice Cream.