French apple tart on short crust pastry

Sieve 250 g of all purpose flour into a bowl.

Cut 125 g of cold butter into cubes and add it, with the sugar.

Rub the butter into the flour with your hands, pushing it right in and keeping the flour moving, until the flour turns from white to a light beige or yellowish and a squeezed handful holds together but breaks apart at a touch - sable, like wet sand.

Push the mixture to the sides to make a well. Break the egg into the centre, pierce the yolk with one finger and mix with that finger alone, drawing in a little flour at a time so the yolk distributes evenly. Stop when it gets too thick to move.

There is not enough moisture for the flour still to come, so add a couple of teaspoons of cold water to the egg, then a little more dry mix, then a little more water, and so on.

Open your hand and move the mixture around - do not knead or push - letting the moisture and the dry ingredients come together into one ball. The dough should be slightly moist, not wet. If it is wet add flour; if it is too dry break it up and add a few drops of water.

Knead eight times, ten at most, each knead being three moves: fold edge to edge, press with the palm into the centre of the mass, then give it a quarter turn. Add a touch of flour if it sticks.

Press the dough down, wrap it in plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge at least one hour.

Core two apples with a corer, press and twist, then peel them and hold them in cold water.

Turn the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit with the rack on the bottom.

Melt 30 g of butter in the microwave and brush the sides and edges of the 8 inch tart pan with some of it, saving the rest for the apples.

Flour the work surface and the dough, and roll from the centre, giving it a quarter turn the same way each time, to about a quarter-inch or four millimetres thick. Keep it from sticking and spread any leftover flour. Let the dough relax a moment.

Fold the dough in half and in half again, set the point at the centre of the pan and unfold it. Lift one side at a time and push the dough into the corner with a finger held like a circle, all the way round, then trim the excess by cutting against the rim.

Pinch the border all round, then press it with two fingers to decorate the edge.

Spread about a cup of applesauce over the base.

Halve the apples lengthwise, lay each core side to the left and cut very thin slices, then build them over the applesauce, putting any too-thick slice at the bottom out of sight.

Brush the apples with the leftover melted butter and then with sugar.

Bake on the bottom rack of the preheated oven about 30 minutes.

For the glaze, put apricot jam and a little cold water in a pot, whisk, and heat.

If it is still a little pale, take the ring off and bake a little longer.

Brush the hot glaze over the tart.