I said when I bought my tart pans that everyone was just going to have to deal with my experimentation, and here it is again. Don’t worry, though, because this recipe is also tailor made to become a pie.
Some fantastic friends of ours held a fun “Friendsgiving” get together last weekend. We were able to hang out with them along with both old and new friends and share a potluck meal.
I signed up to bring dessert, because I had my eye on a new tart recipe, and of course, as always, my friends needed to be my guinea pigs.
And this tart was definitely a show-stopper. It’s gorgeous and easy at the same time, which makes for the perfect combination.
The recipe I tried comes from https://mandyjackson.com/2018/12/07/french-apple-tart/. I used apple jelly instead of apricot jam in my version, substituted bourbon for rum and added just a sprinkle of cinnamon in my version.
French Apple Tart
Ingredients
- 1 nine-inch pie crust
- 1 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter cubed
- 1/4 cup apple jelly
- 1 tablespoon bourbon or use water
- a liberal sprinkling of cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Roll out the pie dough to about a quarter-inch thick and place into a eight- to 10-inch tart pan, pressing it along the sides so that it fills the crevices. Trim any excess crust, and place the whole pan in the freezer while slicing apples. (If you don’t have a tart pan, use a pie pan or springform pan instead.)
- Peel the apples, cut them in half, and core them. Slice the apples thinly—about one-quarter inch—and arrange in the prepared crust in a spiral, overlapping the slices a bit as you go. Once you’re finished, use any remaining slices to fill in gaps and make it look nice.
- Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the top of the pie. (It will seem like too much, but it will cook down into the apples; don’t worry.) Dot the top of the tart with the cubed butter.
- Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the tart is lightly browned and the apples are fork tender.
- Let the tart cool for about 15 minutes or so.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the apple jelly and bourbon, along with a healthy sprinkling of cinnamon. Microwave it for just a few seconds—about 20—to get it just a bit warm, and whisk it well to combine the jelly and liquid.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the mixture over the top of the tart.
- When it’s cool enough to handle, remove the tart from the pan and serve right away or refrigerate in an airtight container.
We really enjoyed this tart. It was very simple but delicious. Plus, it looked awesome on the dessert table.
The other nice thing about making a tart is if you normally don’t like trying to flute your pie crust to make it pretty, you don’t have to with a tart pan. It takes care of the prettifying for you.
With pie season fully upon us, I’m sure this won’t be close to my last pastry until the end of the year. And I know it won’t be the final time I’ll be around the table with some great folks, having good conversation and sharing delicious foods. That’s what makes this the best time of the year.
This piece first appeared in print on Nov. 25, 2021.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
