Ingredients
Tart Dough
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 ounces cream cheese (cold), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 teaspoons lemon juice from 1 lemon
1 - 2 tablespoons ice water
Apple Filling
1 1/4 pounds Granny Smith apples (about 3 medium)
1 1/4 pounds McIntosh apples (about 3 medium)
2 tablespoons lemon juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 egg whites , beaten lightly
In bowl of food processor pulse flour, sugar, & salt to comb. Add butter & cream cheese; pulse until mixture is s&y, with small curds, 10 to 12 one-second pulses (mixture should not form cohesive ball). Turn mixture into medium bowl.
Sprinkle lemon juice & 1 T ice water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to evenly distribute water & lemon juice into flour mixture until small portion of dough holds together when squeezed in palm of hand, adding up to 1 T more ice water if nec. (Mixture will look dry even after liquid is incorporated.) Turn dough onto clean, dry work surface; gather & gently press together into cohesive ball, then flatten into rough disk. With chef’s knife or dough scraper, cut dough into 6 equal pieces, shaping each piece into disk about 3" wide.
Preparation
Place disks in single layer on flat dinner plate, wrap plate in plastic, & refrigerate until firm, about 30 mins (can be refrig up to 2 days). 3. Remove dough from refrig (if refrigd longer than 30 mins, let stand at room temp until soft). Working one at a time, roll out disks between 2 sheets of lightly floured parchment paper into circles approximately 6 ins wide. Remove top layer of parchment; trim bottom layer of parchment into rectangles about 2 ins larger than dough. Stack rectangles with parchment on plate; cover plate with plastic wrap & refrig while preparing fruit. 4. Adjust one oven rack to highest position & other rack to lowest position; heat oven to 400°. Peel, core, & cut apples into 1/4-in-thick slices & toss with lemon juice, 1/4C sugar, & cinnamon. Arrange parchment-lined dough rounds in single layer on work surface. Arrange about 1 cup apple slices, thick edges out, in circular mound, leaving 1-in border of dough. Fold dough border up over filling, pleating dough to fit snugly around apples. With cupped hands, gently press dough to filling, reinforcing shape & compacting apples. Using parchment lining, slide 3 tartlets onto each of 2 cookie sheets. 5. Bake tartlets until pale golden brown, about 15 mins. Brush crust with beaten egg whites & sprinkle apples with remaining 2 Ts sugar. Return tartlets to oven, switching positions of cookie sheets; bake until crust is deep golden brown & apples are tender, about 15 mins longer. Cool tartlets on cookie sheets 5 mins; using wide metal spatula, remove from parchment & transfer to cooling rack. Cool additional 5 mins; serve.
