Name: Latticed Apple and Cranberry Tart
Yield: Serves 12
Ingredients: 2 recipes pâte brisée, with 4 teaspoons sugar substituted for the salt; Flour (for surface); ¾ cup raw cranberries, halved; ⅓ cup superfine granulated sugar; ¼ cup currants; ¼ cup dark rum or brandy; ⅔ cup granulated sugar; 8 large cooking apples, peeled, cored, sliced; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind; 1 teaspoon cornstarch; ½ teaspoon cinnamon; 1 egg; 1 tablespoon milk; Cinnamon sugar (for dusting); 2 tablespoons apricot jam; Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (for serving)

A latticed pie made with apples and cranberries on a table with a pie server.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich

This tart, from the 1973 Thanksgiving issue of Gourmet, is a whirlwind of holiday flavors. Rum-soaked currants, a hint of cinnamon, and a flourish of lemon add dimension to the cranberry and apple filling, and a corkscrew-twisted lattice sets this tart apart from all the other pies at the party.

This recipe is a part of our ‘70s-themed vintage Thanksgiving menu.

Recipe information

Yield
Serves 12

Ingredients

2 recipes pâte brisée, with 4 teaspoons sugar substituted for the salt

Flour (for surface)

¾ cup raw cranberries, halved

⅓ cup superfine granulated sugar

¼ cup currants

¼ cup dark rum or brandy

⅔ cup granulated sugar

8 large cooking apples, peeled, cored, sliced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

1 teaspoon cornstarch

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

Cinnamon sugar (for dusting)

2 tablespoons apricot jam

Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (for serving)

Preparation

Step 1
Make a double recipe pâte brisée, substituting 4 teaspoons sugar for the salt, and form it into two balls, one slightly larger than the other. Roll out the larger ball ⅛ inch thick on a floured surface, drape the dough over a rolling pin, and fit it into a 10-inch pie tin, pressing it in firmly. Trim off the excess dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Chill the shell for at least 30 minutes. Add the excess dough to the remaining ball, and roll it out into a rectangle ¼ inch thick and 12 inches long on a floured surface. With a fluted pastry wheel, cut 10 strips about ¾ inch wide. Put them on a baking sheet and chill them for at least 30 minutes.
Step 2
In a small bowl, combine ¾ cup raw cranberries, halved, with ⅓ cup superfine granulated sugar, and let the mixture stand for 1 hour. In a saucepan, plump ¼ cup currants in ¼ cup dark rum or brandy. In a large bowl, combine 8 large cooking apples, peeled, cored, and sliced, the cranberries, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, the currants, and any remaining brandy, 1 tablespoon each of lemon juice and grated lemon rind, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Turn the filling into the chilled shell, mounding it slightly in the center, and moisten the edge of the dough with water.
Step 3
Arrange the strips in a lattice pattern over the top, twisting each strip corkscrew fashion (if the dough is very cold, let it soften a bit before twisting it). Press the ends of the stripes to attach them to the pastry shell, trimming off any excess dough, turn up the overhanging dough, and form it into a decorative edge. Moisten the strips with an egg wash made by beating 1 egg with 1 tablespoon milk, and sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar.
Step 4
Bake the tart in the lower third of a preheated hot oven (425°F) for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderate (350°F) and bake the tart for 40 minutes more, or until it is browned and the juices bubble. Brush the fruit between the lattice with melted apricot jam, and let the tart cool on a rack. Serve the tart with sweetened lightly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.