Rustic Free-Form Apple Tart

In bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade, pulse flour, sugar, and salt to combine. Add butter and cream cheese; pulse until mixture is sandy, with small, pebblelike curds, 10 to 12 one-second pulses (mixture should not form cohesive ball). Turn mixture into medium bowl.

Sprinkle lemon juice and 1 tablespoon ice water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to evenly distribute water and lemon juice into flour mixture until small portion of dough holds together when squeezed in palm of hand, adding up to 1 tablespoon more ice water if necessary. (Mixture will look dry even after liquid is incorporated.) Turn dough onto clean, dry work surface; gather and gently press together into cohesive ball, then flatten into a 6-inch disk. Place disk on a flat dinner plate, wrap plate in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes (can be refrigerated up to 2 days).

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator (if refrigerated longer than 30 minutes, let stand at room temperature until malleable). Roll dough between 2 large sheets of lightly floured parchment paper into circle about 15 inches wide. Peel off top layer of parchment and, using parchment lining, slide dough onto jelly-roll pan or rimmed cookie sheet; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while preparing fruit.

Peel, core, and cut apples into 1/4-inch-thick slices and toss with lemon juice, 1/4 cup sugar, and cinnamon. Arrange parchment-lined dough round on work surface. Following illustrations 5 and 6, arrange apple slices, thick edges out, in circular mound, leaving 3-inch border of dough. Fold dough border up over filling, pleating dough to fit snugly around apples. With cupped hands, gently press dough to filling, reinforcing shape and compacting apples (see illustration 7).

Bake until pale golden brown, about 30 minutes. Place pan with tart onto second pan of same size to insulate bottom crust; brush crust with beaten egg whites and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Return to oven and bake until crust is deep golden brown and apples are tender, about 30 minutes longer. Cool tart on pan 10 minutes, loosen parchment where it may have stuck to pan, then, using parchment lining, slide tart onto cooling rack. Place a large, round plate on top of tart, invert tart, peel off parchment, and re-invert tart onto serving platter.