Rustic Apple-Cranberry Tart

Tart cranberries and tart apples in a sugar-coated crust, served hot with vanilla ice cream. I like a tart... tart. There are all kinds of varieties of recipes for apple-cranberry rustic tart on the internet. Some even use canned cranberries and canned apple pie filling (gah!). Don't do it! Sure, it takes a while to hand peel some fresh apples off the tree. But touching and smelling the apples, working them with your hands, picking over the beautiful, brightly colored fresh cranberries and listening to them pop as they cook is all part of connecting with nature. When we eat by opening cans or dumping food that has been processed and packaged onto our plates, we lose the pleasure of becoming intimately acquainted with the treasures of nature and truly understanding how to enjoy the complex and simple flavors of fruit, grains, vegetables, even of poultry and fish and meats. It's about quality rather than quantity. Taking time to slow down and enjoy food is better for our bodies and even a little sugar on the weekend can become part of an overall more healthier lifestyle.

The following is my own recipe...



Cranberry Mixture:

2 cups fresh cranberries
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Combine in a saucepan and cook until berries pop open and mixture has thickened slightly.

Apple Mixture:

7 medium tart apples (I used granny smith)
1/4 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Combine in a large glass bowl and microwave for 12 minutes (this step keeps the tart from being too watery, but is not necessary. If you prefer, you can skip microwaving the apple mixture and place them directly into the crust)

Preheat the oven to 425ºF

Assemble the tart by rolling out your favorite pie crust for a single-crust pie, making it larger than the pie tin you will be using. Drape the crust over the tin, and fill first with apple mixture and then with cranberry mixture. Fold the extra dough over the top around the edges (as seen in the photo at the bottom of this post). Paint the edges of the dough with egg white and sprinkle generously with granulated sugar.

Bake for 25 minutes in pre-heated oven, then decrease the temperature to 350ºF and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until the apples are fully cooked and the crust is brown.