"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." ~ Anne of Green Gables, L. M. Montgomery

Following our apple picking last week, I went straight work making an apple, oatmeal, walnut bread. I think the fact that I didn't take any pictures of the process was perhaps, a premonition that the end result would be a disappointment. It really was - too dense - too tart - oh well.

Yesterday I tried a different dish using the honey crisp apples that we had picked. I decided to try the Salted Maple Caramel Pecan Tart (I have included the recipe in its entirety at the end of the post). This time – success! It was beautiful, and tasted amazing! I love the combination of flavors, and anything with salted caramel (of which I made double the amount) is a winner for me.

I am not someone who has success with pie crusts. This time, the process was unique, and pretty much no-fail. I'm not sure that this crust recipe would be sturdy enough for a full-sized pie, but it was perfect for this tart.

Since I added a large amount of the salted caramel sauce, I decided that it would be unwise to try to remove the tart from the pan. Perhaps after it has had a chance to set up in the fridge, I'll give it a go.

This recipe is definitely a keeper, and the very best of ways to welcome October!

Salted Maple Caramel Apple Pecan Tart

Pies

prep 10 mins ∙ cook 50 mins ∙ makes 8 ∙ source Neighborfoodblog.com

INGREDIENTS

• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 Tablespoons water
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1 rounded cup of all purpose flour (using the scoop method) or 150 grams
• 3 apples (I used Honeycrisp)
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon cardamom
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• ½ cup maple syrup
• ¾ cup cream
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In an oven safe bowl, combine butter, oil, water, sugar, and salt. Place the bowl in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the butter is bubbling and just starting to brown.

2. Carefully remove the bowl of butter from the oven and set on a hot pad. Dump in the flour and use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture together until the dough forms a ball.

3. Once the dough is cool enough to handle, transfer it to a 9 inch round tart plate with a removable bottom. Press it down with a spatula, then use your fingers to spread it evenly across the pan and up the sides. Prick the dough with a fork. Place the tart dough back in the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the edges are starting to brown.

4. While the tart bakes, peel the apples and cut into thin slices. In a bowl, toss the apples with cinnamon, cardamom, sugar, and flour.

5. Remove the tart dough from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375 degrees. Arrange the apple slices inside the tart. (I stood them up against each other in concentric circles.) Sprinkle with pecans. Place the tart back in the oven for 20 minutes.

6. While the tart bakes, prepare the caramel sauce. In a small sauce pan, melt butter. Add the maple syrup and cream and bring to a boil. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Stir in sea salt.

7. Remove the tart from the oven and pour all but ¼-1/3 cup of the sauce over the top (You want everything to be well covered in the caramel.) Return to the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes or until apples are softened.

8. Serve warm with ice cream and leftover caramel sauce.