French Apple Tart

Fall is finally here! The leaves are starting to change color and the air is crisper. To celebrate the fall season, we went to a local apple farm and picked some Mcintosh apples. These apples are definitely on the tart side, so they are great for baking, but not the easiest to eat plain. One of the recipes that I made with these freshly picked apples was a French Apple Tart from Ina Garten’s “Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics”.

Pastry

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1T sugar

12T (1-1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

1/2 cup ice water

Apples

4 Granny Smith Apples

1/2 cup sugar

4T (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, small-diced

1/2 cup apricot jam, sieved

2T water

To start the pastry, use a food processor to pulse together the flour, salt, and sugar until combined. Add the diced butter and pulse about 10 to 12 times until it looks like small peas. This means that the dough will have a crumbly look to it. Keep the food processor running and pour in the ice water and pulse until it just comes together — best to not overmix the dough. It is important to use ice water versus warm water because you do not want to melt the butter until it bakes in the oven. Flour a board and roll the dough into a ball. Save the floured board for later to roll out the dough into the tart shape. Wrap the ball of dough with plastic wrap and then chill for 1 hour in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. The recipe said to line a sheet pan with parchment paper. I highly recommend something with a rim to it because the tart releases a lot of liquid during baking. I would much rather have a dirty pan than a dirty oven. 

Roll out the dough to a rectangle that is slightly larger than 10 x 14 inches. Trim the edges so it has a straight edge. Transfer the dough onto the baking sheet using the rolling pin and then put in the fridge while you prepare the apples.

Peel the apples and cut them in half. The recipe calls for using a melon baller to remove the cores. This was sometimes challenging so I had to use a knife to manually do it on some. Slice the apples into 1/4 inch thick slices. Arrange the slices of apple on a diagonal by starting from corner to corner and working your way out. Sprinkle with the sugar and dot with the remaining butter.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the pastry and edges of the apples start to brown. The juices will burn during the cooking, but don’t worry! After the tart comes out of the oven, heat up the apricot jam in a bowl in the microwave and then use a spoon to push it through a sieve into another bowl. The goal is to get the jam thinner to create a glaze for the tart. Add the 2T of water to the sieved apricot jam. Brush the glaze onto the apple tart. Use a spatula to make sure the tart has not stuck to the parchment paper. Let cool and then enjoy!

This is a great dessert that you can make ahead of time and then serve for dessert. Great fall treat with all of the apples that are in season right now!