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My mom was laughing as she told me about the Donald Duck comics she used to read as a little girl in France. Donald Duck's grandma would always make a "tarte aux pommes" (apple pie) in the comics, which looked like our standard American apple pie with crust on top. My mom claims it was so confusing as a little girl because she always thought "That is NOT a tarte aux pommes!" She was right- French "pies" don't have a layer of crust on top, like ours. They are delicate, shiny, thin, and open-faced. I love this recipe because it reminds me so much of the classic tarte aux pommes, my favorite French pastry!
I am going to cut to the chase because the recipe is too yummy and I HATE scrolling forever to get to a dang recipe so here you go!
LAZY GIRL'S FRENCH APPLE TART
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Makes: 2 approximately 8x10in tarts
Ingredients:
Frozen Puff Pastry (I think the best is Trader Joe's. What else is new.)
3 Large Apples
2/3 cup Applesauce
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice OR Apple Pie Spice
1 tablespoon Butter
1 cup Apricot Preserves
Instructions:
1. Follow thawing directions on puff pastry package.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (or follow instructions on package for preheating).
3. Lay out sheet of puff pastry on cookie sheet.
4. Precook for 10 minutes until pastry is risen and golden-brown.
5. Spread thin layer of applesauce (1/3 cup per pastry) . The pastry will deflate and that's ok!
6. Cover the pastry with thin-sliced apples. I used about 1.5 apples per pastry sheet. Make any design you want!
7. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of spices on each
8. Cut up some cold butter and throw it on top for good measure.
9. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes!
10. Meanwhile, heat your apricot preserves in a saucepan on medium/high. This will be your shiny glaze.
11. Once your preserves come to a boil, remove from heat and strain to remove any chunks. Set aside until your tarts are done.
12. Once your tarts are out of the oven, coat the apples with that lovely apricot glaze.
Your tarts are done! Bon Appetit!
As much as I love the satisfaction of making certain things from scratch, I need good shortcut recipes! Sometimes slaving away in the kitchen makes us stressed-out, distracted hostesses. When I'm having company, I don't want the preparation to take away from being present with them. And WHO THE HECK WANTS TO MAKE PUFF PASTRY OK?
"Food is not about impressing people- it's about making them feel comfortable." - Ina Garten
