- French Apple Tart

FRENCH APPLE TART

Pastry:
2 c all purpose flour
½ tsp kosher salt
1 T white sugar
¾ c cold unsalted butter, diced
½ c ice water
*See note for alternate pastry

Apples:
5 Granny Smith apples
½ c white sugar
¼ c cold unsalted butter, small diced
½ c apricot jelly (or warm sieved apricot jam)
2 T Calvados (apple liqueur) I used orange liqueur

For the pastry, place the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 x 14 inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baler. Slice the apples crosswise in ¼ inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. Sprinkle with the ½ c white sugar and dot with the butter.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out.

While the tart is cooking heat the apricot jelly together with the liqueur and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn’t stick to the paper. Allot to cool and ser warm or at room temperature.

Notes:
(i) If you don't want to make the pastry you can substitute one portion of Tenderflake puff pastry.

(ii)I could not find apricot jelly so I used jam and just strained it while it was warm.
(iii) The juice from the apples and the sugar do make a mess out of the pan so next time I will cover it with tin foil and then put the parchment on it.
(iv) This was absolutely delicious and took no time at all to make.