Rustic Apple Tart with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

The unmistakable aroma of apples baking, filling the air with all the comforts of fall. This beautiful rustic tart is filled with a medley of apples, layered with spice from cinnamon and nutmeg plus an exotic floral note from pure vanilla extract. All baked inside a crisp, flaky, buttery crust – but not before adding a cinnamon streusel topping!

This rustic tart – also known as a rustic pie, crostata or galette – is a simple yet casually elegant way to bring a twist on the traditional apple pie. It’s my favorite way to bake up any fruit in a pie. The only difference between a rustic tart, a crostata and a galette is the origin. A rustic tart or rustic pie is more rural Americana while a crostata has Italian roots and a galette, comes courtesy of the French.

When making anything with apples, I always opt for three or four types of apples instead of just one. This layering brings flavors that are both sweet and tart and textures that play nicely off one another. In this tart I use three – Gala, Fuji and a Granny Smith for that bit of tartness. Jonagold and McIntosh are also wonderful. There are really no “big rules” so use your favorites. Inside the tart you’ll find thinly sliced apples tossed with dark brown sugar, cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, and a luscious splash of pure vanilla extract.

Making a rustic tart is a simple way of making a fruit pie. This is one of the easiest pastry doughs you’ll ever make. It requires no chilling, and it rolls out like a dream. And the results are always fabulous. The apples are piled in the middle, dotted with butter then covered with a streusel topping that features a bit more butter, pure vanilla powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Fold the pastry edges up, add a brush of egg wash and a sprinkling of sugar over the pastry, the tart is off to the oven!

And from time to time, your crust might break and to your horror you see those juices escaping – but not to worry. After the tart is done, grab a spoon and capture the deliciousness surrounding the tart, and drizzle it back over the top.

Caramelized juices are bubbling, the apples are tender, and that crust is crisp and golden brown. And even though it fall, a scoop of ice cream is still quite nice alongside that warm slice!

Rustic Apple Pie with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

For the pastry:

¾ cup unsalted butter

1-½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough

⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided

⅓ cup cold water

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

Cut the butter into cubes and chill it in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Combine the flour, kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in a food processor and mix for about 5 to 10 seconds. Scatter the cold butter cubes on top of the flour and pulse about 10 times, just until the butter is the size of peas.

Pour the cold water over the top of the flour and process for about 10 to 15 seconds, just until the water is blended into the flour and butter and it starts to gather. Don’t over process or your pastry will be tough. The dough will still be crumbly. Turn the pastry dough out onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper.

Using the parchment paper, gently pull the dough together and press it into a disc.

Gently roll the dough into a round that’s about 15” to 16” and 1/8” in thickness, turning occasionally and adding a light dusting of flour underneath so it doesn’t stick to the paper. Don’t worry if it’s not perfectly round, this is rustic! Slide the parchment sheet with the pastry dough onto a rimmed baking sheet. Trim any excess paper that’s hanging over the edge of the pan.

For the filling:

1-½ tablespoons flour

6 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

2 Gala apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

2 Fuji apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well blended.

Measure out 8 cups of the apple slices. Depending on the size of the apples you might have some leftover. Combine the apples with the flour and spice mixture along with the vanilla extract. Mix well, coating all the apple slices as evenly as possible.

For the streusel topping:

1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

¼ cup dark brown sugar

½ teaspoon pure vanilla powder*

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons flour

To make the streusel topping:

Using a fork or pastry cutter, blend the butter together with the brown sugar, vanilla powder, cinnamon, and flour. The topping will be crumbly.

*If you don’t have pure vanilla powder you can use the same amount of pure vanilla extract.

To assemble the tart:

Pile the apples in the center of the pastry dough, leaving an edge that’s about 3” around the apples. Scatter the pieces of butter over the apples and sprinkle with the streusel topping.

Take the edge of the pastry and fold up over the apples. Then continue folding, turning the edges of the dough up over the apples toward the center. The pastry won’t completely cover the apples. Take care not to break the pastry or poke holes in the dough.

In a small bowl whisk the egg and 1 tablespoon milk together. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the egg wash over the pastry dough then sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon of sugar. Bake the tart in a 375-degree degree for about an hour, or until the crust is golden brown and the apples are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Let the tart cool on a wire rack for about 10 to 15 minutes before slicing to allow the juices to set.

Serves 6 to 8.