Author Notes
When the description for this contest mentioned horseradish on the Seder plate, my first thought was of the "Hillel Sandwich" Ashkenazi Jews (like my family) eat during the Seder. This "sandwich" consists of matzoh topped with horseradish and charoset (a mixture of apples and nuts with sweet wine), and is named for the famous Rabbi Hillel. I have always loved the way the spicy horseradish cuts the sweetness of the charoset and balances the bitterness of the walnuts, so decided to turn the Hillel Sandwich into a dessert.
I used Mark Bittman's pastry recipe for the tart pictured; I've written the recipe, however, so that a matzoh crust can easily be substituted during Passover. Just couldn't bring myself to brave matzoh before I have to... —celiaruthless
Ingredients
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1
tart crust of choice (pate sucree or matzoh meal crust)
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2
medium apples (Gala work well)
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1 cup
chopped walnuts
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1
egg
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6 tablespoons
unsalted butter (or margarine)
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1/4 teaspoon
salt
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1/2 cup
sugar
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1 tablespoon
prepared white horseradish
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2 tablespoons
red wine
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1 teaspoon
honey
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1/2 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
Directions
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Core the apples and slice them very thin (1/8-inch thickness or less). Place the walnuts, salt, sugar, egg, horseradish, and 4 tablespoons of the butter in a food processor and pulse until blended into a rough paste.
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Prick your crust all over with a fork, cover it with aluminum and pie weights or dry beans, a blind bake it at 425 degrees - 15 minutes for pate sucree, 10 for matzoh. Remove the crust from the oven, gently lift the aluminum and weights off, and turn the oven down to 375 degrees.
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Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and whisk in the wine, honey, and cinnamon over low heat. Remove from heat immediately when the ingredients have blended into a viscous glaze.
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Pour the walnut paste into the par-baked tart shell and push apple slices, curved side up, into the paste. Press the slices as close together as possible without letting them touch. Brush the top of the tart with the wine glaze.
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Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the 375-degree oven, until the walnut frangipane bubbles up around the fruit. Cool to room temperature before serving.
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