French Apple Tarts - Tart Aux Pommes

This apple tart recipe is something I have been making for years. It takes only FIVE ingredients and comes together in moments. It is actually a rendition of one from The Barefoot Contessa. She said that it was just like in France, and I dreamed that it was, because it was that good. Then in May of 2018 I got a chance to see if it really was authentic. I picked one as my very first breakfast in Paris, see here- Paris Trip Monday. They wrap your purchases so artfully in twists of waxed paper...

 And you open them to a little bit of heaven!

The difference is that in Paris I only saw them as rounds. I am too chintzy to do this because it wastes valuable puff pastry ;). The dough was also a bit different, the texture was just sublime. I have tried stretching my dough, and rolling it a bit. But I think the whole difference is boxed dough versus fresh dough made by French hands...of course. If you want to see more of what I ate and visited on my Paris trip, there are multiple posts. Look under the label section at the left of the screen and search under Paris. We had five blissful days there! But now to show you how to replicate this tasty masterpiece at home.

You will need a box of puff pastry, usually found in the frozen section near the fruit. You need one sheet to make four pastries. Two sheets if you want 8. (see me doing math there? ;) You need some Granny Smith apples. Really, these desserts on founded on tart apples, and ones that keep their shape. It takes about two apples for four tarts. You need 2 Tbsp butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and some apricot preserves or jam. (Remember to just doubled these things to make 8 tarts). Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.

Peel and core your apples. Then slice in half from top to bottom. Lay each half on it's side and slice thinly to make crescents.

Cut your puff pastry sheet in four equal squares (or circles if you want to be properly Parisian), and layer the apple slices over. Start in a corner and work to the opposite corner, overlapping slices and cutting to fit if necessary. We want them to both look and taste lovely! Do not worry if your apples are starting to brown. They will color while cooking in the oven and look great.

When the apples are all arranged, cut the butter into small chunks and dot over the tarts. Then sprinkle them all liberally with sugar. Pop into your preheated oven. These will take approximately 15 minutes to bake, but they are so thin and the oven so hot, that if you forget about them you will have charcoal.

I turn them at about seven minutes. See how the butter and sugar that has run off is already getting very brown? Now I time for another seven, but keep checking every few minutes, every oven is different.

In the meantime I have a couple of tablespoons of apricot jam on the stove with about 2 tsp of water to loosen it up. Heat this till it is returning to liquid and brushable. Even if you don't think you like apricot jam, it is the perfect foil for the apple. It gives a tartness that is needed that an apple jam would not. Once, when I found enough fruit to make jelly, I brushed them with quince jam. It was heavenly!! If you can find some, use that, it is also very French.

Here are my darlings all baked up. You want the edges of the pastry nicely browned, also the edges of the fruit. And the apples should look dried.

Now you brush with the apricot jam. It makes a shiny glaze, and gives a delicious sticky tartness. In France they would use a jelly, or strain out the small bits of apricot fruit. They want things to look perfect! But I really love the chewy bits of apricot so I leave them.

Here is the beauty, ready to be consumed. This dessert is really best hot out of the oven. They are still yummy later, and even the next morning, but the dough will not have the same texture. These take such little time that you can throw them in after supper, and then sit and have a coffee and talk while waiting the few minutes for them to be done. You can even enlist diners to help peel and cut apples! You can also make big tarts using whole sheets of the puff pastry, uncut. This is the way the original recipe showed them. But I have found that the individual ones are not only more fun, but the edges all the way around are perfect. The slices from the center of a large one are floppy and soft. Plus this looks perfectly Parisian...

They are absolutely swoon-worthy with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, or a plop of homemade whipped cream. We tried it here with a scoop of Dairy-free Caramel Swirl, because I have a daughter-in-law who is lactose intolerant. It was okay, but grainy. However you decide to eat it, just do it!

This recipe is easy, takes only a few inexpensive ingredients, and is so delicious! I am not an apple pie lover, but this is a favorite of mine. And every time I smell it cooking I am transported back to Paris! Try it yourself, Dear Reader, and I promise you- you will be having an authentic taste of the "City of Lights"!