Meme's Apple Tart

His mother’s free-form apple tart on a tender, crumbly milk-and-shortening crust, baked daily at her Lyon restaurant.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening or lard
• 1/4 cup lukewarm milk
• 2 pounds Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons apricot preserves (optional, for glaze)

Directions

1. For the dough, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the shortening until crumbly, then add the lukewarm milk and stir just until the dough comes together. Press into a disk.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a 12-inch round and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
3. Arrange the apple slices in overlapping concentric circles over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Fold the border up over the edge of the apples.
4. Sprinkle the apples with the 3 tablespoons sugar and dot with the butter.
5. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the crust is browned and the apples are tender and lightly caramelized at the edges.
6. If desired, warm the apricot preserves and brush over the apples for a glaze. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Adapted from Jacques Pepin’s Meme’s apple tart, his mother’s daily dessert at Le Pelican in Lyon.