Susan J. Griffin, CEPC
Pastry Consultant
Red Hook, NY

Suzy Griffin is a '78 CIA grad, and has been in the pastry field since. She is currently a pastry consultant for many local establishments, and advisor to the Culinary Arts departments at Dutchess and Ulster BOCES. She specializes in everything from classical desserts, to formulas created with the health conscious in mind.

• 3 lbs. all purpose flour
• 1 lb. 10X sugar
• 2 lbs. butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. pure vanilla
• 1 1/2 lb. almond paste
• 1 lb. butter
• 7 oz. cake flour
• 1 lb. sugar
• 10 eggs
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla
• +/- 6 lbs. sliced apples (Empires, Delicious, or Grannie Smith, best to use a combination of them all)

Dough: Blend flour and butter until butter is in tiny chunks. Blend eggs and sugar in a separate bowl, then combine the two. Chill dough for a few hours. Either roll out, or press dough into pan about 1/2" thick. Partially bake dough before proceeding. Either fork the dough a little to keep from rising, or weight down with some parchment paper, and dried beans.

Franchipan: Beat the almond paste and sugar. Add 1 egg, blend to smooth. Add the butter in chunks, while beating. Add the rest of the eggs, and vanilla. Sift the flour into the mixture, and blend.

Construction: Smear the parbaked dough with the franchipan, and lay out the thinly sliced apples decoratively. Bake at 325° until the apples are soft. If the crust starts to burn, cover the edges with some foil. Coat the tart with some apricot glaze after cooling.