Gluten-Free Apple Tart

Ingredients

• 2 cups finely ground almond flour
• 1 cup arrowroot starch
• 2 tablespoons maple sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground chia seeds
• 1/2 tablespoon ground flax
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, ghee, lard, duck fat, refined coconut oil, or sustainable palm shortening
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 to 6 tablespoons ice water
• Extra arrowroot or tapioca starch for shaping and rolling
• 6 medium baking apples
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, ghee, refined coconut oil, or palm shortening
• 2 tablespoons maple sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, optional
• Zest of one lemon
• Food processor
• 9-inch tart pan

Directions

1. Add the almond flour, arrowroot, maple sugar, chia, flax, baking powder, and salt to the bowl of a food processor, then pulse 5 to 6 times so everything is evenly mixed. Drop in the butter and pulse 4 to 5 times more, just until the dough looks sandy with little pea-sized bits throughout. Add the egg and egg yolk, then scatter 3 tablespoons water over the dough. Pulse again, stopping as soon as the mixture begins to gather into clumps and come together.
2. Tip the pastry dough onto a cutting board and pat it with your hands into a thick disk. Wrap it snugly in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
3. When you’re ready to bake, set a sheet of parchment on the counter or another flat work surface and dust it with arrowroot or tapioca starch. Put the chilled dough in the middle and roll it into a circle about 12 inches across.
4. Turn the tart pan upside down and center it over the rolled dough. You want at least 1 1/2 inches of dough visible around the pan’s edge. Slide one hand, palm up, under the parchment, set your other hand on the tart pan, and flip everything over in one sure motion. Confidence is your friend here.
5. Settle the crust gently into the tart pan, pressing it into the corners. Pull off the parchment and throw it away. If the dough cracks, don’t worry — just press it back together. Trim the extra dough with a paring knife, then prick the bottom of the tart shell all over with a fork.
6. Put the tart shell in the freezer to stay cold while you get the apples ready.
7. Preheat the oven to 350F.
8. Peel the apples, then cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the core, seeds, and stem with a melon baller, paring knife, or small spoon. Using a chef’s knife or mandoline, slice the apples very thinly, ideally 1/8-inch thick.
9. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter or other fat with the sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Whisk as the mixture comes to a simmer, and keep whisking until the sugar has fully dissolved.
10. Choose a few of the thinnest apple slices and keep them aside. Take the tart shell out of the freezer, then arrange the apple slices in concentric circles, beginning at the outside edge of the crust and working your way toward the center.
11. For the middle, use the thinnest apple slices you saved and bend them gently to finish the design. You may have some apple slices left over.
12. Scatter the lemon zest evenly over the top. Drizzle about 1/2 of the glaze evenly across the tart; dipping a pastry brush into the glaze and letting it drip over the apples works nicely.
13. Bake the tart for 40 minutes, turning the pan halfway through baking.
14. Brush the remaining glaze over the apple slices. Put the tart back in the oven and bake for 5 more minutes.
15. Serve warm or at room temperature.