The Smell of Autumn

Autumn is in the air and there's nothing like the smell of apples and cinnamon wafting through the kitchen on a cool September morning. Local Honeycrisp and Macintosh apples slowly simmering on the stove, infused with a touch of brown sugar and cinnamon, now that's the smell of Fall. The crust is a simple pate sucree, John Boy's Farm duck eggs provide the beautiful yellow hue, the only eggs I like to use for my tarts, they are amazing! I arrange apple slices over the top, brush them with sweet cream butter and then bake. Once the tart is cool, I brush the top with a thin layer of apricot glaze for the shine, and sprinkle on a streusel topping made of butter, flour, nuts, cinnamon and brown sugar. Fresh local apples, combined with a few simple ingredients.....the essence of Autumn on a plate!