It’s Apple Season!

Is this crazy or what?

I'm so ready for fall I dove face first into apple season with this Apple Rose Tart. This is what I call a "Franken-recipe" where I take several things I love and mash them together.

I love beautiful French pastry, especially the apple roses that graced so many autumnal sweets. I'm also ready for heavier desserts the cooler weather brings, oh, like cheesecake. So I made the ultimate autumn mashup of apple butter cheesecake filling spiked with nutmeg and molasses in a graham cracker and pecan crust, topped with apple roses.

Hellooooo apple season!

I used a 9.8-by-1.75 inch, 6-cup tart pan with a removable bottom. It's a favorite of mine as I make quiche in it often. Since lots of apples will be sliced; a mandolin makes the job almost fun, as long as you promise to use the safety guard.

Apple Rose Tart

Yield: 6 servings. Cook time: 70 minutes - Prep time: 45 minutes

What You'll Need:

Crust

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup pecan pieces finely diced

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Cheesecake filling

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup apple butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon dark molasses

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Apple Roses

2 red delicious apples and 3 gala apples

1 tablespoon apricot jam

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Here's How:

Preheat oven to 350 and spray your tart pan.

Prepare crust - place butter in a medium microwave safe bowl, melt on high for about 45 seconds . Add the dry ingredients and mix together. Press the crumb mixture into the prepared tart pan. Bake for 8 minutes and set aside.

Make filling – using the same bowl from the crust, cream the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy, add the remaining ingredients and blend completely. Pour the filling into the baked crust.

Make apple roses – wash, and core the apples. Working one apple at a time, cut them in half. Using a mandolin set at 1/8 of an inch, or sharp knife, slice the apples thinly, one half at a time. Place the apple slices in small batches on a plate and microwave for 40 seconds or until soft and pliable. When cool enough to handle; take one smallish piece of apple and roll tightly, take a second piece and wrap around the first, repeat with larger pieces until you get something that looks enough like a rose to satisfy you. If the apple slices are snapping, microwave longer. This is not a task for impatient people and it's totally okay to throw the occasional uncooperative rose in the dog's dish. Place roses on top of the cheesecake filling, they will sink in a bit, don't worry. Cover the tart with roses. Brush your masterpiece with apricot jam thinned with lemon juice to prevent over-browning.

Place tart pan on a baking sheet and bake one hour, 10 minutes. Test with a toothpick. Let cool before attempting to remove from tart pan.

Have your camera ready because this is a showstopper. Note to self - wouldn't this be pretty for Thanksgiving? Yes, it would.

Fabulous Food contributed by Patti Diamond from Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! www.divasonadime.com Join us on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom.