I guess maybe because it’s apple season now, I feel like I should embellish all of the standard apple dishes that pass through the kitchen each fall (apple pie, apple dumplings, hopefully, possibly caramel apples.) Apple pie seems like the easiest thing to do with a boatload of freshly picked Fuji’s, but I came across this more savory version on Saveur.com and had to give the cheese a try.
The original recipe calls for a cheddar, which I now imagine would have provided a much stronger flavor, but I can’t think of anything better than placing a slice of brie on my apple and so a more mild cheese landed on my plate. Still incredibly gooey, just a little less punch.
This would definitely be a dinner party staple, as an appetizer of some sort, should we start having more formal get-togethers any time soon. (As of now, they consist big hearty one-dish meals.) It’s not what you would expect from an apple pie–there’s no sugar oozing out the sides and far more flavor, with the addition of fresh herbs–but the dish comes together nicely, and certainly serves to intrigue.
APPLE AND BRIE TART WITH ROSEMARY AND THYME
(adapted via Saveur)
3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 stick butter
4-6 tablespoons ice water
3 apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
Zest of 1/2 of large orange
6 ounces Brie cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
Sift together flour, salt and sugar into a mixing bowl. Use a pastry cutter to work butter into flour until it resembles cornmeal. Knead in butter and gradually add ice water, until dough just holds together. Shape into a large fat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Combine diced apples, sugar, thyme, rosemary, and orange zest in a medium bowl and set aside for 1-2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut off about 1/3 of the dough and set aside. Thinly roll out remaining pastry on a lightly floured surface and fit into buttered pie dish. Stir cubed Brie into apple mixture and pour into pie dish. Roll out remaining pastry and fit to top of pie. Slice three holes down the center to allow steam to escape. Bake for one hour, until mixture begins to bubble. Turn oven to broil and bake pie for an additional two-three minutes, until top begins to brown. Remove and let cool.
