Delicious (and FAST) Rustic Apple Tart - With a Secret Ingredient!

It was 5:30pm when I thought that an apple tart would be a tasty dessert tonight.

Yes, insane.  Normally.

But dinner was going to be of the leftovers persuasion, meaning that I had a bit of time to potchke with something special afterwards.

I hate  making pie crusts.  I have a heavy hand with dough ... great for breads and such, but terrible for tender things that have to be rolled out.  Plus a good pie crust needs a chill time, something I didn't have the luxury, being that it was not 5:35pm.

Luckily, press-in crusts exist for people like me.   And luckier still one of my fave crusts uses almond flour, something I had plenty of on hand, leftover from some other recipe.  Unluckily, I didn't have one of the other main crust ingredients: oatmeal or oat flour.

But I did have something better.  A secret ingredient that I happened to stock up on when the Try-N-Save had a sale BC (Before Covid).  And it worked so well in the crust that oatmeal (if/when I ever get some again) will go back to being a breakfast food.

Ready for the secret ingredient?


Cheerios!

That's right!  I figured oats is oats.  And it worked!  A quick blitz in the food processor, and it was ready to use.

Keep in mind that the crust is rather crumbly.  And even after baking it will probably clump up (and not in a good way) when you attempt to layer the apple slices or schmear on the glaze.  Just push it back in place as best you can.  No one will notice when it's time to serve.  Just keep repeating "rustic" and slop it onto dessert plates as best you can.

I used plant butter (AKA margarine) to make it dairy-free.  If you prefer, use an equal amount of dairy butter instead.   If you prefer vegan, use a liquid sugar of your preference instead of the honey.

TIP ALERT!  I used a rubber spatula as a knife/serving spoon to avoid scratching the nonstick pan.   Speaking of which, if you don't have a nonstick pan, line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper to make serving and cleanup easier.

Delicious (and FAST) Rustic Apple Tart 
Yield: 6 servings

Tart Crust:

Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups Cheerios 
1 cup almond flour (do not pack)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3 Tbl. granulated sugar
1/2 stick (4 Tbl.) dairy-free margarine

Tart Filling:

2 McIntosh  apples
Juice from 1/2 lemon (about 2 Tablespoons), divided
1/4 cup apricot (or peach) preserves
4 Tbl. honey
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F.   Lightly spritz the bottom and sides of an 8-inch straight sided cake or tart pan with cooking spray (even if non-stick). If not non-stick, line bottom with parchment paper cut to size.

In a food processor, blitz Cheerios for about 30 seconds or until pulverized.  Add almond flour, sugar and salt; pulse to combine. Add margarine; pulse until mixed through evenly.

Tip the mixture onto the prepared pan. Press mixture over the base, and half-way up the sides. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until crust is  just starting to turn golden at the edges. Remove from oven and set aside.

While crust is baking, place preserves in small microwave-safe cup; heat at 100% power for 30 seconds or until it melts and is easily stirred.  Combine preserves with remaining tablespoon of the lemon juice and honey to create glaze; set aside.

 Peel and core apples. Cut as best you can into thin slices. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice over the apple slices while still on cutting board; set aside.

When crust is done, remove from oven (leave oven on).  Carefully and lightly spread half the glaze over bottom of crust (if crust clumps up, simply push it down and around the best you can (it will be hidden by the apples).

Arrange apple slices decoratively as long as your patience and time holds up, overlapping them as much as possible.  Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon.

Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and lightly brush with  half of remaining preserves mixture over the apples. Return pan to oven; bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the apples are very tender and glaze starts to brown. Remove from oven; immediately brush remaining glaze over hot apples.

Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Slice into 6 wedges (if nonstick pan, use a non-metal  serving utensil or rubber spatula) and serve warm, room temperature or chilled.