If you haven’t had a chance to dine at one of Field Rations‘ pop up dinners or hired them for a private catering gig, you’ve really been missing out. Fortunately, owner Brian Laughlin shared with us this dessert recipe to give you a little teaser as to what they’re all about.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, whip up this dessert to impress your sweetie. And if you still don’t feel like waiting? Field Rations’ main focus is private cheffing and catering gigs. They’ll work with you to construct the perfect dinner or cocktail party for your style and budget. Field Rations was born after Laughlin saw the need for a unique dining experience in Jackson Hole. His goal is to combine the rustic feel of the mountains with a modern dining experience. To start planning, shoot them an email at info@fieldrations.com or call 307-203-5468. More on Laughlin below the recipe.
Ingredients
- For the Pate Sablee
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cream or milk, if needed
- For the Apple Filling
- 6 Honeycrisp apples
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon dark rum
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Finishing the Tart
- 2 Honeycrisp apples
- Brown sugar
- Honey
Instructions
- Beat the butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy.
- Beat in the egg yolk. Keep mixing until the egg yolk is fully combined. Making sure to scrape sides of bowl to fully incorporate.
- Add the flour: With the mixer on low speed, beat in the salt and flour — just until the dough comes together and there is no more visible flour. Be careful not to overmix. The dough should be able to be pressed together between your fingertips and hold when done. If the dough appears dry or doesn't hold together at this point, lightly mix in up to 1 tablespoon cream or milk.
- Chill the dough before rolling: Dump the contents of the mixer bowl on a piece of plastic wrap. Gather the dough together and press it into a round disk. This will make rolling it out into a circle easier. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days.
- When ready to roll, remove the dough from fridge and let soften on the counter. Now the butter in the dough has chilled and firmed up enough to hold together when you roll it, but it's probably a bit too firm. Let it warm up on the counter just enough so it's still cool to the touch, but starting to feel pliable.
- Roll the dough out between two sheets of wax paper. To prevent sticking or adding more flour, roll the dough between two pieces of wax paper. Be sure not to press too hard at the edges or thin them out; rotate the dough to keep its round shape. Lay tart pan on top of dough and with a knife, cut out a circle slightly larger than the tart pan.
- Transfer the dough to the tart pan: Peel away the top layer of wax paper, and invert the crust into the tart pan. Peel away the top layer and fit the tart into the pan. Gently lift the edges and then press the dough down into the shape of the pan. Continue around until the dough is snug in the bottom and sides of the pan. Trim the edges by simply running a paring knife around the top edge of the pan. Save any scraps to repair cracks that may occur during baking.
- Wrap the pan loosely in plastic and chill 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Blind-bake the tart, about 30 minutes: Line the chilled dough with parchment paper or foil. Fill the inside with pie weights or beans and bake until the edges just begin to brown. Remove the pie weights.
- Fully bake the tart, if needed: To fully bake, continue baking the tart crust without the pie weights for 5 to 10 more minutes, until the center of the crust is golden.
- For the apple filling, peel the apples and small dice. Add to sauce pot along with the rest of the ingredients.
- Cover with a lid and simmer slowly, allowing the apples to cook down. After 20 minutes the apples should be soft.
- Puree apples with either a stick blender or food processor. Allow apple puree to cool.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Shave the remaining apples with a sharp knife or mandoline. The thinner the better. Keep in a bowl of ice water with a small amount of lemon juice to keep the apples from discoloring.
- Take the tart shells and fill with the apple puree. Next take your apple shavings, and going from the outside in, shingle the apple slices on top of each other, working around and around until you get to the center. Take one slice and roll it up, forming the center of the tart.
- Drizzle with honey and dust with brown sugar.
- Bake tarts in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until hot.
Laughlin stumbled upon his passion for cooking while obtaining a degree in industrial design. To make ends meet, he began cooking in various restaurants and quickly realized his natural skill in the kitchen and love for the limitless artistic possibilities that cooking provides.
He went on to stage in Michelin Kitchens and cooked in various cities including Columbus, Cleveland, Charleston and San Francisco. With his background in art, Laughlin is inspired by the color, texture and taste of each ingredient and how they come together to make a unison dish. Laughlin has now cooked professionally for more than 12 years and continues to learn innovative cooking techniques and pioneer creative recipes.
