Columbus Foodie

I had the honor this last month of hosting the food blogging event Homegrown Gourmet #3, with the themes of pies and tarts. I received 4 great entries, mostly using pumpkin. So without further delay, here’s the roundup:

Blogger Lisa of Lisa’s Kitchen in Ontario, Canada made a lovely Pumpkin Pie out of local pumpkins.

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Sarah of What Smells So Good?, also in Ontario, Canada, contributed these tiny Canadian Decadence Tarts, which is a butter tart (kind of like a cross between sugar pie and pecan pie), which she filled with raisins. This recipe is characteristically Canadian.

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I made an Apple Tart Normande with mostly local ingredients. It turned out very buttery and tasted great using local Ohio apples.

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Gretchen of Canela & Comino in Lima, Peru made Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Pastry Crust using a Cooking Light recipe that she’s had for years. She also used fresh local pumpkin to make her pie.

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And finally, the contribution that I chose as this round’s winner :::drum roll:::

Michelle of the blog Greedy Gourmet in the UK sent in this Creamy Leek Tart, which is her first attempt at a pie or tart! So simple, and looks delicious! As the winner, I challenge Michelle (should she choose to accept the honor) to pick the theme for the next round, host it and judge the results.

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Thank you everyone for contributing these awesome dishes, and for adding to my collection of recipes I’ve got to try.

For this edition of Homegrown Gourmet, which I hosted this month, I decided to make an apple tart with mostly local ingredients. I sort of expected it to be a little more custardy on top, but it was delicious and buttery nonetheless. Stay tuned for the roundup of the event coming within the hour.

Apple Tart Normande
recipe courtesy Recipezaar

For the sweet tart crust:
14 tablespoons butter, unsalted
2 1/3 cups flour
1 pinch salt
3 tablespoons sugar
4-5 tablespoons ice water
2 egg yolks, beaten with the ice water

For the tart filling:
1 1/2 lbs tart apples, peeled and cored
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the custard:
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons calvados or cognac
confectioners’ sugar

To make the sweet tart crust, in a food processor, cut the butter into the flour. Add the salt and sugar. Do not overwork. Add the egg yolk and water mixture little by little. Process 15-20 seconds. Turn the pastry out onto a floured board. Blend the pastry by pressing it into a ball and kneading it quickly with the heel of your hand until no lumps remain As with the pastry, work as quickly as possible, and use as little additional flour as possible to avoid toughening the dough. Chill the dough at least 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Prepare the pastry and line the tart pan, line the pastry with aluminum foil and weight it with dried beans or rice or pie weights, bake for 12 minutes.

Slice the apples into 1/8″ lengthwise slices. Mix the apples with the sugar and cinnamon and arrange in concentric circles in the tart crust Bake for 20 minutes or until the apples begin to color.Cool while preparing the custard.

To make the custard, beat the egg and sugar until thick and pale yellow. Add the flour and beat until smooth. Add the cream and Calvados and beat until smooth. Pour the mixture over the apples and return to the oven. After 10 minutes, sprinkle the top with confectioners sugar. Continue to bake 15-20 minutes until the custard is set and the top is browned Serve this tart warm.