Photography by Alison Engstrom

Orchards are a magical place, especially come fall when the sun begins to hang lower in the sky and the leaves turn golden. While you can pick your own berries and stone fruits during the summer, something is extra cozy about filling up a bag of apples and knowing they’ll enjoyed as is or accompanies by warming spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. This season, the apple orchard offered a wonderful harvest, with a bit too much weight for the trees to handle, which is why they are fallen beneath the tree. Recipes for apples seem limitless, but going back to the basics of folding them in flaky pastry with a hint of sweetness is a no-fail crowd pleaser. Here a combination of apples, like Winesap, Empire and Jonagold, are ensconced in a sugar coated crust and then drizzled with salted caramel sauce—in a word, fall perfection. For even more of an experience, pack up the tart and enjoy it outside at the golden hour.

Experimenting with different techniques in baking is a great way to adopt your own. I slightly adapted this crust recipe from Vallery Lomus’ first cookbook, Life Is What You Bake It. In her debut book, Vallery shares how many of life’s lessons can be learned through baking, alongside 100 delicious recipes for brownies (they are so delicious) to Lemon-Honey Madeleines. I loved her fearless approach to life and the way she followed her passion and her love for baking. She also happens to love Paris as well, which is a girl after my own heart.

Apple Tart With salted caramel sauce

For the Crust

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 sticks cold unsalted butter, chopped into cubes

1/3 cup ice water

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

(Crust recipe was slightly adapted from the new book Life Is What You Bake It by Vallery Lomas)

For the Filling

6 large baking apples (Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Winesap work), cored and sliced thin

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Generous pinch of kosher salt

Turbinado sugar for dusting

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon heavy cream

For the Salted Caramel Sauce

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup heavy cream

6 tablespoons high-quality salted butter

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt*

Directions: To prepare the crust, add water, an ice cube and apple cider into a small bowl, set aside. In the basin of a food processor, add flour, sugar, salt and butter. Pulse a few times until butter roughly becomes the size of a peas. Stream in ice water mixture and pulse until mixture comes together when gently squeezed in the palm of your hand. Carefully turn onto parchment paper and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for at least three hours or overnight.

To make the salted caramel sauce, add sugar to a medium sauce pan. Turn the heat onto low and allow sugar to cook by stirring constantly. Sugar will melt slowly but you want to take care to make sure it doesn’t burn. It will melt down completely in about ten minutes. Slowly add cream, it will bubble vigorously, but stir until caramel settles, about one minute. Remove from heat, add butter, stir to combine and add salt. Pour into a heat-proof glass jar and let cool completely at room temperature. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Caramel will solidify some, before drizzling on top of tart, reheat in the microwave on low until it reaches your desired consistency.

To make the tart, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Next, generously flour a working surface. Roll dough into a rectangle about 12 inches in length and 8 inches wide. Gently transfer to the baking sheet by rolling dough loosely around rolling pin and laying it back down. Line apples very closely next to each other (take note that the apples will shrink slightly during the baking process) in a simple pattern or a pattern of your choice to fit inside the rectangle, leaving an inch to spare on all sides. Next, combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt into a bowl; using a spoon, sprinkle mixture evenly over apples. Fold dough around apples. In a small bowl make the egg wash by combining the beaten egg with the heavy cream. Using a pastry brush, coat crust generously and then top with turbinado sugar. Bake for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown and apples are soft. Let cool at room temperature before enjoying. Drizzle with caramel sauce and enjoy!

*Begin by adding salt 1/4 teaspoon at a time and adjust based on personal preference.