For just a few glorious weeks every August, Gravenstein apple trees in Sebastopol, California, shower the farmers who tend them with a bounty of sweet-tart fruit. Some of these trees are more than 100 years old, with gnarled, seven-foot-wide trunks that have stood through two world wars.
Those same trees are also endangered.
Make a Tart, Save a Tree
The Sebastopol Gravenstein apple is so rare that it’s listed in the Ark of Taste, a roster of endangered heritage foods. If it disappears, we’ll lose one of the best baking apples out there, renowned for its sweet-tart flavor and gorgeous red, green, or striped skin.
Luckily, the best way to preserve the Grav and support its farmers is to eat it! That’s where the Gravenstein apple recipe below comes in. Every time you make these tarts, you’ll encourage Grav farmers to keep planting.
Savory Gravenstein Apple Tarts
Adapted from realsimple.com
These simple, savory tarts are both sweet and tangy thanks to the complex flavors of Gravenstein apples and crème fraîche. Enjoy them sliced for breakfast or share them as an afternoon snack.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 2 Gravenstein apples, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry (from a 17.3-ounce package), thawed
- 1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
Preparation
- Get ready: Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
- Saute onions: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, 12–15 minutes.
- Add apples and seasonings: Stir in apples, salt, and pepper, and cook until just tender, 2 minutes.
- Prepare pastry: On a parchment-lined baking sheet, roll out pastry sheets and prick all over with a fork. Spread with the crème fraîche/sour cream, leaving a 1/2-inch border.
- Assemble and bake: Top each pastry sheet with half of the onion and apple mixture and bake until the pastry is crisp and browned, 30–35 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy: Cut tarts into pieces before serving, then dig in!
Makes 2 tarts. Prep time, 20 minutes; cook time, 55 minutes.
Cook’s Note
If you’d like to make just one Gravenstein Apple Tart, divide the amount of ingredients in half. If Gravs aren’t in season, Braeburn, Gala, or Granny Smith apples also work well in this recipe.
Where to Find the Gravenstein Apple
Gravensteins are only available for two short weeks every August. To get your hands on some for this Gravenstein apple recipe, keep a close eye on your local farmers market (if you live in the Sebastopol area) or order The FruitGuys’ annual Gravenstein Apple Box.
Farmers are picking Gravensteins now, so this is the perfect time to preorder! In addition to buying their apples, The FruitGuys gives Grav farmers an extra 16% of the proceeds of each box.
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