Apple Walnut Gorgonzola Rustic Tart

(food stylings by Todd)

Make this tart.  Trust me.  It's so easy you would not believe...and it turns out kinda cute lookin', right?  But seriously, it has a nice savory flavor...and when you divvy it up into little slices, well, like I said, it's really cute.

With unlimited funds, I'd spring for fresh thyme, since its flavor really stands out in the recipe.  I'll probably use more cheese next time, because I love cheese.  Made this for a get together near our home, so after I pulled it out of the oven and wrapped it up, we walked over to the party, allowing the tart cool in the chilly fall air.

(actual size)

Apple Walnut Gorgonzola Rustic Tart

From Simply Recipes, 6-8 slices

• 1 Pâte Brisée (tart dough) for a 10-inch tart or 1 packaged, flat pie crust
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese (or blue cheese)
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 large granny smith apples (or other good cooking apples such as jonagold or fuji), peeled, cored, chopped
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice (optional)

Toss the walnuts, gorgonzola, thyme, chopped apples, and maple syrup together in a medium size bowl. As you are working with the apples (chopping them, mixing them in with the other ingredients), if you want, you can squeeze a little lemon juice on them to help keep them from discoloring. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap while you prepare the crust.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out pastry dough to 13-inches, at an 1/8 of an inch thickness. Place pastry dough on a rimmed baking sheet. (Rimmed because the pastry will leak butter during the cooking process.) Mound the filling in the middle of the rolled out dough, and spread out evenly to 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches from the edge of the dough. Pleat the edges of the dough over the filling.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until crust is nicely browned. If at any time it looks like the walnuts are getting a little burnt, you can lightly tent a piece of aluminum foil over the center.

Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.