Individual Apple Tarts
Submitted by kedz11
Individual French-style apple tarts with homemade butter pastry, applesauce base, thinly sliced apples fanned on top, and an apricot glaze. Elegant, bakery-quality dessert from scratch.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
2 hrsCOOK
1 hrsREADY
3 hrsThese individual apple tarts follow the French tarte aux pommes tradition: thin pastry, a layer of applesauce as the base, and paper-thin apple slices fanned in overlapping circles on top. The applesauce layer is the clever part. It adds moisture and concentrated apple flavor underneath the sliced fruit, so every bite tastes deeply of apple from top to bottom.
The pastry is a simple butter crust, rubbed by hand until pea-sized butter pieces remain. Those little bits of butter are what create flaky layers when they melt in the oven. Ice water and minimal handling keep the gluten from developing, so the crust stays tender and shatters when you bite through it.
Slice the apples as thinly as possible. Thick slices don’t cook through in time and sit on top of the tart like raw fruit. Thin slices soften, caramelize at the edges, and meld with the applesauce below.
A warm apricot glaze brushed over the finished tarts gives them that glossy, professional bakery shine.
Chef Tips
- Chill the pastry rounds for at least 30 minutes before filling. Cold dough holds its shape in the oven instead of shrinking.
- Keep the butter cold throughout. If it starts to soften while rubbing in, put everything back in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Brush melted butter over the apple slices before sugaring. It promotes browning and adds richness to the topping.
Variations
- Use puff pastry sheets instead of homemade crust for a quicker, flakier version.
- Swap apricot jam for raspberry jam glaze for a sweeter, fruitier finish.
- Sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon over the sugar before baking for a warm-spiced tart.
Ingredients
Directions
PASTRY: Put flour and salt in large mixing bowl.
Using your fingertips or pastry cutter, rub butter into flour just until pea sized pieces of butter remain.
Add ¼ cup ice water and gently knead just enough for ingredients to hold together.
If necessary, add a bit more water to help pastry stick together.
Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Divide pastry into 6 pieces.
On lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a round about ⅛ inch thick.
Cut each into a circle, about 5½ inches in diameter.
Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet; refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
FILLING: Spread about ¼ cup applesauce, nearly right to edges, over each pastry circle.
Arrange apple slices, overlapping slightly, in a circle in applesauce.
Brush apple with butter and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake in a preheated 350℉ (180℃) F oven until apples are tender and underside of pastry is golden brown, about 1 hour.
Heat jam with water over low heat.
Strain through sieve over bowl.
Brush over apples.
Serve with ice cream or creme anglaise.
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