Not Your Frenchman’s Tart
Apple Tart
I don’t like fancy desserts, unless I am at a one of those restaurants that have a grossly over abundance of silverware and glasses, a menu in a foreign language, and a dessert list that sounds like the names of French perfumes. When it comes to desserts I bake in my kitchen, I like to keep it simple and easy with minimal fluff. Nothing is worse than making a dessert that no one knows how to eat because it is overly pretty.
One of the easiest desserts I know I learned from my mother. She is maestro in the kitchen and has a true passion for food…and knitting. She is always coming up with new and different ways to take a recipe she finds and change it to fit her preferences.
A staple in her house is an Apple Tart. There are two ways to make this, one being with a puff pastry crust and the other being with a traditional piecrust. Lately, she has been opting to use the puff pastry, as do I, because of how light and flaky the crust comes out once baked.
It’s a pretty basic no fuss recipe that utilizes the natural sugars baked from the apples slices. I tend to get a wild hair every now and then and mix together fresh lemon juice, finely chopped fresh thyme and turbinado sugar with the apples slices before baking, which add an extra pizazz to the overall taste. I either serve it warm or cold depending on the weather with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Voilà! Dessert is served!
Ingredients:
- 1 sheet of Puff Pastry at room temperature (there are 2 per box, so either use both or put remaining back in the freezer so it doesn’t go bad).
- 2-3 Large Granny Smith Apples, Sliced thin
- 1 tbsp. Fresh Thyme, finely chopped (optional)
- 3 tbsp. of Turbinado Sugar
- The Juice of 1 Lemon
- 1 – 2 tsps. of Cinnamon (depends on your cinnamon taste preference)
- A couple tabs of butter, melted
- A Sheet of Parchment Paper
Directions:
- Follow oven directions on the pack of the puff pastry. I usually heat my oven to 400°.
- Peel and slice your apples and place in a separate bowl. Mix in your sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon, thyme (if you opt to use it), and set aside. I sometimes add 1 or 2 tsps. of flour to soak up some of the juice.
- Once the puff pastry is defrosted at room temperature unfold it over your sheet of parchment paper and lightly roll it out with as little flour as possible.
- Arrange your apple slices in rows by slightly overlapping them.
- Brush the edges of the puff pastry with the melted butter and sprinkle some extra sugar over the top.
- Bake for about 30-40 minutes (depending on your oven), or until the crust is golden browned.