If you were to find yourself in the position of needing to really impress someone, here's your solution. You can bake this tart, and when everyone says things like oh, you are a true baking virtuoso OR you must have spent hours and hours making that tart OR marry me, you domestic god(dess), you can just smile graciously and think about how easy it actually was.
Although technique is very simple, it is a bit time-consuming. To counteract fatigue, I recommend putting on a great playlist so you can dance around the kitchen while you make it. Dancing always helps. Or call someone you like and put them on speaker while you arrange the apple slices. But a word of warning: Don't touch the phone with your sticky fingers. My "home" button is permanently encased in a gritty ring of granulated sugar from this exact maneuver. BAKING IS DANGEROUS.
I digress. Onto the tart. The crust is your standard pie crust situation, so use a light touch and cold ingredients to ensure maximum flakiness.
The key to making the circles look pretty is cutting the apples to the right thickness. If the slices are too thin, they won't look as striking and they won't be sturdy enough to stand up. If the slices are too thick, they won't be pliable enough, so they'll snap instead of bending when you try to fold them.
Once you slice your apples to the proper thickness, you'll let them macerate for a bit in some lemon juice and sugar. This period of maceration softens the apples and makes them easier to bend and manipulate. You'll quickly get the hang of it as you go.
There will be a little trial and error the first time you make the recipe, but then you'll get a feel for the best size to slice the apples. You can use a pie plate to make this pie, but I prefer a tart pan instead. You don't need to fuss with the edge of the crust when you use a tart pan (just trim the edges), and the pie is pretty enough not to need a decorative crust. Also, because the tart pan has straight edges, it's easier to line up the apple slices vertically.
Delicate Apple Pie
For the crust
8 tablespoons butter, very cold
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
For the filling
6-8 medium apples
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons strawberry jam
To make the crust: Whisk the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture is in small lumps. Slowly pour in the ice water, stirring with a fork as you go. You might only need 1/4 cup, so start there. The dough should come together into a shaggy mass, but it should have plenty of dry spots left. Add as much water as you need to get to this point. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times until it comes together in a cohesive ball. Press the ball into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Once the dough has chilled, place it on a lightly floured surface and roll it out to an 11" circle. Transfer the circle of dough into a 9" tart pan or pie plate and trim the edges. Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour.
While the crust chills, prepare the apples. Peel all the apples and slice them very thinly into slices. You want each slice to be thin enough to bend without breaking but it shouldn't be paper thin. If they are too thin, they'll break when you toss them in the next step.
Place the slices in a large bowl and toss them gently with the lemon juice, cinnamon, and sugar. Let sit while the crust finishes chilling.
When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the crust from the refrigerator. Starting from the outside, line the apple slices up (cut side down) in the pie crust, moving around the crust in circles and working your way into the center. Each slice should overlap with the last one, and try not to leave too much space between any of the slices. You want the circles to be tightly pressed together, as the apples will shrink when they bake.
Drain the liquid that's left at the bottom of the bowl of apples and cook it down (in a small saucepan or in the microwave) until slightly thickened. Pour this liquid gently over the top of the apples.
Bake the tart for 30-40 minutes. Just before the time is up, heat the jam until liquid-y (on the stove or in the microwave). Remove the pie from the oven, and brush the heated jam over the top of the apples using a pastry brush. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the fruit should be bubbling. Remove from the oven and let cool.
