Lodi Apple Tart

Lodi apples are our first variety of summer apples to come in. The variety name lodi is pronounced "load-eye." While, according to my father, these apples are an old fashioned variety, no one (and I do mean no one) has ever heard of them, which leads me to believe that these old fashioned apples weren't ever very popular. Perhaps due to my affinity for the under-dog, or things that are less than common, I tend to enjoy lodis. They have a vibrant green color, very tart flesh, and a thin skin. And while these apples are not the best eating apple in the world, they make a mean pie/tart/sauce etc. Lodi's impossibly thin skin disintegrates in the oven, allowing you to avoid the hassle of peeling (which is my least favorite thing about baking with apples).

As with all summer apples, lodis should be kept in the refrigerator. Summer apples have a tendency to become mushy and dry (and generally unpleasant) in the summer heat.

Lodi Apple Tart
6-7 Lodi apples, or enough to make 8 cups of sliced apples
2 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp butter
1 store bough pie crust

Caramel Sauce (loosely adopted from Martha Stewart)
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Core apples and cut into eighths. Pour honey, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg over apples and toss together. In a skillet toss apple mixture and butter in for about 2-4 minutes until butter is melted and apples have softened slightly. Place your pie crust in a pie plate (any size will work) and add warm apple mixture. Place tart in oven for about 25 minutes, watching it carefully and making sure the pie crust doesn't burn. Remove pie and allow to cool slighly. To make caramel sauce place all ingredient for the sauce in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil, allow the mixture to gently boil for one minute and then remove from heat, spoon over tart and serve warm.