Apple Tart with Dulce De Leche
Filling

2 teaspoons butter

3 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Crumb Topping

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

Pastry (yields 2 crusts)

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

1 teaspoon white vinegar

Garnish

Dulce de Leche (see recipe below)

Whipped cream

The filling: Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the apple slices. Drizzle with lemon juice. Cover and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.

Transfer apples to a bowl and let cool.

The topping: Combine the flour, sugar and butter in a food processor; process into pea-size crumbs. Stir 1 tablespoon of the crumbs into the warm apples.

Reserve the rest of the crumbs for topping.

The pastry (yields enough for 2 crusts): Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor; process just to blend.

Cut the cold butter into 1-inch cubes. Put in the processor and stir to distribute evenly and coat the cubes with flour. Pulse until the mixture is in pea-sized pieces.

Drizzle 4 tablespoons ice water and the vinegar over the mixture. Pulse enough times (about 6) just to combine, but do not let the dough form a blob around the blade.

When you pinch the dough together (careful of the blade) it should stick together. If it doesn't, drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of ice water. Pulse 2 or 3 times.

Place a large sheet of plastic wrap on a work surface. Remove the dough from the processor bowl (it can still be in pieces) and put in the middle of the plastic wrap. It will look like a mess.

Pull up the sides of the plastic wrap to form the dough into a flat disc. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove dough from refrigerator and divide it in half. Wrap one of the halves in plastic wrap and place in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Mark, date and place in the freezer.

Freezes well for up to 2 months.

Adjust the oven rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place a 14-inch length of parchment paper on a work surface. Dust very lightly with flour.

Put the dough disc on the parchment and, starting from the center, roll out to a 10-inch circle. As you roll, you'll have to keep sliding a spatula underneath the dough to keep it from sticking.

Lift the parchment and dough round onto a baking sheet. Mound the cooled apple filling in the center, leaving a 2-inch border around the perimeter.

Sprinkle the crumb topping over the apples. Fold the edges of the pastry over the apples. Press the edges a into a free-form circle. You don't have to be perfect.

Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until pastry is golden.

Cut into wedges and serve drizzled with warm dulce de leche. Garnish with whipped cream.

Serves 4 to 6

Dulce De Leche

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Empty milk can into a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours until milk is rich, caramel color, stirring every 45 minutes to an hour.

Here are a couple of other methods for making it.

Oven method: Pour 1 can sweetened condensed milk into 9-inch pie plate. Cover with aluminum foil; place in a larger shallow pan. Fill larger pan with hot water. Bake at 425 for 1 hour or until thick and caramel-colored. Beat until smooth.

Stovetop method: Pour 1 can sweetened condensed milk into top of double boiler; place over boiling water. Over low heat, simmer 1 to 1d hours, or until thick and caramel colored, stirring occasionally. Beat until smooth.

Microwave method: Pour 1 can sweetened condensed milk into 2-quart glass measuring cup. Cook on 50 percent power (medium) 4 minutes, stirring briskly every 2 minutes until smooth. Cook on 30 percent power (medium low) 20 to 25 minutes or until very thick and caramel colored, stirring briskly every 4 minutes, during the first 16 minutes and every 2 minutes during the last 4 to 10 minutes.

Source: Eagle Brand Condensed Milk.