French Apple Tart

I found this recipe in my Thanksgiving issue of food network magazine.  It used it for the Franzwa family Thanksgiving.  The recipe below makes 8 servings.

Image by Jason Hedlund

Ingredients:
For the pastry:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
12 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup ice water

For the apples:
4 Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup sugar
4 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, small diced
1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 Tbsp Calvados, rum or water (we used 3 parts cider and 1 part Jack Daniels)

Directions:
1.  For the pastry, place the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.  Pulse for a few seconds to combine.  Add the butter and pulse 10-12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas.  With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together.  Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2.  Preheat oven to 400F.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper (we used our Silpat).
3.  Roll the dough slightly larger than 10x14 inches.  Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges.  Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.
4.  Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem.  Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baller.  Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices.  Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rolls on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful)  Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup sugar and dot with the butter.
5.  Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown.  Rotate pan once during cooking.  If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out.  Don't worry.  The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine!  When the tart is done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture.  Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper.  Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Jason, Beth and Terri's Rating: 8/10*

* The butter on top burnt in the oven, which didn't wreck the tart, but it smoked up our kitchen.  We didn't like this about the recipe.

Nutrition:
430 calories
22g fat (14g saturated)
60mg cholesterol
190mg sodium
57g carbohydrates
3g fiber
30g sugar
3g protein