Evening Edge
What’s For Dinner?
DEL.ICIO.USJapanese Sweet Potato and Apple Tart
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Cuisine: Dessert
If we could choose just one meal a year to come off perfectly, this would be the one.
Thanksgiving dinner, so steeped in family tradition and American lore, is also immersed in expectations. Our loved ones gather 'round our table and await the precision-timed arrival of an 18-pound turkey, all the trimmings, and a pie or two. We cooks expect perfection of ourselves, too.
This time, we're getting a little help from the pros.
Expert: Yumiko Ikawa, the executive pastry chef for Joli Kobe, makes this pastry in 8-inch rings; we’ve converted it here for a standard 9-inch tart pan or shallow pie pan.
Japanese sweet potato flesh is a beautiful light yellow with a delicately sweet taste reminiscent of chestnuts. It can be found in Asian groceries as well as some specialty stores, including the DeKalb Farmer’s Market. You’ll need only about half of this recipe for the tart; save extra for another pie or tartlets. This recipe calls for cake crumbs; you can buy a poundcake, angel food cake or a few cupcakes. To maximize prep time, while the potatoes cook, prepare the crust; and make both a day in advance.
Common error: Overworking the crust, making it too warm to hold its shape.
Tip: Fold the crust over to create a double layer that hangs a half-inch over the pan. Lightly flour your fingers. With your thumb, press the crust between your second and third fingers.
"Don't let your dough get too thin, " Ikawa says, showing a quarter-inch gap between her thumb and forefinger to demonstrate the proper thickness.
-- Deborah Geering, for the Journal-Constitution
Hands on time: 35 minutes Total time: 4 hours Serves: 8
Ingredients:
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FOR FILLING:
1 medium Japanese sweet potato (about 12 ounces)
3 apples, peeled, cored and thickly sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided use
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup toasted cake crumbs, divided use
FOR PIE DOUGH:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted chilled butter, cut into pieces
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons cold water
Instructions:
Prepare filling:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scrub the potato, prick it with a fork, wrap it in foil and bake it until soft, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
To prepare the apples, in a small saucepan, combine the apples, lemon juice and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Stir to coat apples. Cook on low, stirring occasionally, until apples are just tender but still hold their shape and the liquid is gone. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Scoop the flesh from the potato skin and put it in a mixing bowl. Beat for 30 seconds. Beat in remaining 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time and add nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. Beat in the butter and then the cream. Fold in 1/2 cup cake crumbs.
Prepare pie crust:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt with a few pulses. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the yolk and water all at once, and turn on the motor. Run the motor just until dough starts to form into a ball. Turn off the motor, gather dough into a ball, wrap in plastic, and chill 30 minutes before rolling.
Roll out the crust to 1/4-inch thickness and transfer it to a tart pan or shallow pie pan. Crimp the edges. Prick the crust with a fork. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cake crumbs, then arrange the apple slices in concentric circles. Spoon the filling over the apples.
Bake for 50 minutes, until filling is set. Cool before slicing.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scrub the potato, prick it with a fork, wrap it in foil and bake it until soft, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
To prepare the apples, in a small saucepan, combine the apples, lemon juice and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Stir to coat apples. Cook on low, stirring occasionally, until apples are just tender but still hold their shape and the liquid is gone. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Scoop the flesh from the potato skin and put it in a mixing bowl. Beat for 30 seconds. Beat in remaining 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time and add nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. Beat in the butter and then the cream. Fold in 1/2 cup cake crumbs.
Prepare pie crust:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt with a few pulses. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the yolk and water all at once, and turn on the motor. Run the motor just until dough starts to form into a ball. Turn off the motor, gather dough into a ball, wrap in plastic, and chill 30 minutes before rolling.
Roll out the crust to 1/4-inch thickness and transfer it to a tart pan or shallow pie pan. Crimp the edges. Prick the crust with a fork. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cake crumbs, then arrange the apple slices in concentric circles. Spoon the filling over the apples.
Bake for 50 minutes, until filling is set. Cool before slicing.
Nutrition:
Per serving: 396 calories (percent of calories from fat, 36), 7 grams protein, 57 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 16 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 131 milligrams cholesterol, 214 milligrams sodium.
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