Perfect French Apple Tart
This French-style apple tart is a truly delicious treat guaranteed to be adored by all. Simply topped with fruit and a squeeze of lemon juice, you can use a homemade, rough puff pastry or keep it even easier with a store-bought sheet of puff pastry. A mandolin or sharp knife allows you to slice the apples finely, almost to a translucent thinness, and then place them in the the tart as closely as you can. Don't forget our baker's secret of buttering and sugaring the parchment paper before you begin, creating the perfect conditions for giving your crust just a touch of smoky caramel all along the bottom. Bon Apetit!
Ingredients
- 6 apples
- 1lemon, zest and juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 1 sheet store-bought puff pastry
- ¼ tsp cinnamon powder, optional
Preparation
Step 1
Peel, core, and cut apples. Slice the apples extremely thin, without being see-through. In a large bowl, toss the apple slices, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt, and set aside. Pre-heat the oven to 400. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Use around 1 tablespoon of butter to grease the parchment paper. Using 2 tbsp of sugar, sprinkle the buttered parchment paper evenly.
Step 2
Roll out the puff pastry to the size of the sheet pan, using a a small amount of flour to keep the dough from getting too sticky. Place the rolled out dough on top of the buttered and sugared parchment. Arrange the apple slices on top of the pastry so that they overlap in rows, crowding as much apple into the pastry as as possible and layering them all the way to the pastry's edge.
Step 3
Bake the tart for 25 minutes. Then cut remaining butter into around 8 pieces and scatter over the top of the apples. Mix the remaining sugar with cinnamon, if using, and sprinkle this mixture evenly over the top of your tart. Return t to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the apples feel tender and are beginning to color at their edges and the pastry is brown and cooked through underneath ( you can lift the corner of your tart to check and make sure). If you want to brown the apples more, you might leave the tart under the broiler for a minute or two. Using the parchment paper itself to lift the tart out of the oven and gently slide it onto a cooling rack. Let tart come down to room temperature before slicing. Enjoy!