This is just about the easiest recipe I have ever made. It’s five ingredients, and you can make it in just over thirty minutes. And it looks like you went to a posh patisserie, and brought it.
The idea for this comes from Ina Garten, one of my favourite Food Network personalities. I just love her, especially her elegant yet rustic style, and in some ways I wish I was like her. But I’m not a small plump Jewish American woman in her late sixties, instead I am a tall slim Church of England British man in his late twenties. Oh well.
I watched her make it in one of her shows and thought I’d have an attempt at it. The one in the photograph is the first time I had ever made it. It was actually done out of necessity, we had a few apples that needed using up, and a sheet of puff pastry in the fridge. Everything else was what I usually have in the fridge and pantry: butter, sugar and apricot jam.
When it comes to slicing the apples, it doesn’t matter if they’re all varying in thickness or a bit wonky, they will still look very impressive when baked. Which is great especially if, like me, you’re not that good with your knife skills.
What I like about this tart is that you don’t have to line a tart tins, bake it blind, etc. Don’t get me wrong though, I enjoy doing all that immensely. It’s just, sometimes a boy has to try doing a little something new from time to time.
After dinner the night I made this, I served it cut into squares with a scoop of ice cream. In fact, I preferred it with a cup of coffee the following morning, for my elevensies. It made me feel like I was sitting in a Parisian cafe on a rainy day with a lover, reading newspapers while French love songs play in the background.
French Apple Tart – inspired by Ina Garten
As I’ve said above, this is shit easy to make. So handy in case you have an impromptu dinner guest and you want an easy, yet impressive dessert. You don’t even have to do this as a large tart, you can trim the pastry into small squares, and top them with the apples, butter and sugar, and bake as below.
I’m doing of doing this with pears next, I think that too would be wonderful. Especially following roast pork.
1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
2-3 dessert apples
A little lemon juice
A little butter and sugar
2-3 tbsp good apricot jam
Preheat the oven to 200c, fan 180c, gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Unroll the pastry sheet onto the prepared baking sheet, and set this aside.
Quarter and core the apples, cut into thin slices and toss in a little lemon juice. Lay the apple slices on the pastry leaving a 1cm border. Cut the butter into small dice and scatter over the apple slices. Sprinkle over the sugar, and bake for fifteen minutes, until golden and puffed up.
Spoon the apricot jam into a small cup and beat until softened.
Remove the tart from the oven, and immediately brush the tart with jam using a pastry brush. Allow the whole thing to cool on the baking tray. Serve cut into squares.
Note: This also makes a fabulous brunch dish as well as a dessert. Just don’t forget the cafe au lait, newspapers and French love songs.
A couple of little updates:
This week our kitchen is being remodelled. Which is tremendously exciting. It means I can have a dishwasher again, finally, the clean-up will certainly be a lot easier. I can just put bits in as I use them.
When the kitchen is done, and reorganised, I shall start my healthy eating and exercise regime again. I’ve recently brought Joe Wicks’ workout DVD, which looks rather fun. As well as several healthy cookbooks.
Jack Knight Cooks 