“Apple Toffee Tarte with Salted Maple Pecan Praline”
Earth Balance & Made Just Right are celebrating the arrival of the winter season with a Holiday Bake-Off Recipe Contest. Chefs from around the globe are invited to share original recipes, using Earth Balance products of course, for a chance to win exciting prizes. San Diego’s own Mickey Walker - talented vegan chef, baker extraordinaire, & author of Flourishing Vegan - submitted this decadently scrumptious recipe & allowed me to share it with you.
“A fancy twist on the classic apple tart. Vanilla bean infused apples, topped with toffee syrup & crunchy, salty-sweet pecan praline, this tart leaves nothing to be desired!”
Prep time: 1 hour | Cook time: 1 hour | Total time: 2 hours |Servings: 8
Crust
- 3/4 cup(s) of Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup(s) of Earth Balance Buttery Spread
- pinch of Sea Salt
- 1 tsp. of Sugar
- 2 tbsp. of Ice cold water
Apple Filling
- 2 pound(s) of Apples, peeled, cored & sliced
- 1/2 cup(s) of Sugar
- 2 tbsp. of Earth Balance Buttery Spread
- 1 Vanilla bean, split open & scraped
- 1 tsp. of Vanilla Extract
- pinch of Sea Salt
- Toffee Sauce
- 1/3 cup(s) of Water
- 1 cup(s) of Sugar
- 1 tbsp. of Earth Balance Buttery Spread
- 1/2 cup(s) of Earth Balance Soymilk
- Praline Topping
- 1 cup(s) of Pecans
- 1/4 cup(s) of Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp. of Earth Balance Buttery Spread
- 1/2 tsp. of Sea Salt
- Start by making the crust. Try to have all of your ingredients as cold as possible to ensure the flakiest of crusts. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar, & Earth Balance using a flour blender. Alternatively use a food processor & blend the ingredients until the mixture looks like crumbly sand. Put the flour mixture into a bowl, add the water & gently fold the mixture together, eventually shaping it into a flat disc with your hands. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap & refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Prepare the apple filling: In a large saucepan on medium heat, melt the Earth Balance & add in the sugar, apple slices, pinch of salt & vanilla bean (pod and scraped out seeds). Saute the apples until al dente, remove from the heat and, stir in the vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.
- After the dough has chilled for 1-2 hours, roll out the dough to form about a 10 inch circle. Use an 8” tart pan & put the rolled out dough into the pan & press the dough into the fluted edges. Roll the rolling pin across the top, trimming off any excess dough on the top. Using pie weights or beans, blind bake the crust for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
- After the crust has been baked, remove the pie weights or beans, & you can now arrange the apple slices in the tart shell. Try to avoid getting any extra juice in the tart, as that will make the bottom soggy. (You can save that delicious syrup for another time!) Bake the tart for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees. You will see the edges of the crust & apples start to turn a golden brown on top when it’s done. While it’s baking, you can make the praline & toffee syrup.
- Pecan praline topping: In a heavy saucepan or skillet, heat the maple syrup & Earth Balance and bring to a boil. Stir in the pecans & continue to stir constantly until the liquid reduces. Continue to stir for 3-5 more minutes, & keep stirring constantly to prevent the pecans from over caramelizing or burning. Remove from heat & immediately pour onto a parchment lined sheet & separate & distribute them around so they aren’t clumped together. After they’ve cooled, you can break them up or chop them into smaller pieces for the topping.
- When the tart is almost finished baking, you can prepare the toffee syrup. In a saucepan over medium heat combine the water & sugar, stirring together to dissolve the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, this will take about 2-4 minutes. Keep it on a low to medium heat to boil for about 8-10 minutes to thicken & caramelize. Then slowly stir in the Earth Balance & whisk in the soymilk a little at a time. Bring the mixture back to a boil, then lower to medium heat to continue boiling for another 8-10 minutes to thicken & reduce again. Remove from the heat & set aside.
- When the tart is finished baking, remove from the oven & ladle the toffee syrup over the top, getting it into all the crevices between the apples. Immediately sprinkle the pralines over the top so they stick & sink into the toffee syrup. Put the tart into the refrigerator to set for a couple of hours or overnight.
- Enjoy your delicious tart!
Good Luck, Mickey!
