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Apple Tart Lessons

Food Guy Jon Jackson knows his apple varieties, so when he decided that a tart made from a sauce of Discovery apples would be a winner, he was correct. He just had to wait a day. Jon's story highlighted a lesson that other Food Guy, Greg "The Baking Wizard" Patent, learned years ago: the flavor of tarts and pies sometimes improves with age.

Jon's tart benefitted from "blind" baking (pre-baking) its crust, to prevent soggyness. To blind-bake a homemade pie or tart crust, prepare raw pastry dough in the usual mannter, in a pastry shell or tart pan, and then line it with aluminum foil. Fill the foil-lined dough with dried beans. Bake it in a 400 degree F. degree oven for twenty minutes. Take it out, remove the foil and beans, and prick the bottom of the shell in several places. Return it to the oven for a few more minutes till it’s brown but not completely baked.

Jon added toasted, chopped hazelnuts to his Discovery apple filling (sweetened entirely with erythritol), added a lattice top, and baked. After cooling for three hours, the tart looked great - but Jon was disappointed by the bland taste. He put it into the fridge and tried some again the next morning, and found its flavor much improved.

“Pies and tarts often profit from an overnight; they shouldn’t necessarily be eaten right away.”

(Broadcast: "The Food Guys," 10/14/18. Listen weekly on the radio at 11:50 a.m. Sundays, or via podcast.)

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