It was quite sunny in Dublin last week-end, so we decided to go to the food market to grab some fresh fruit. We saw some organic apples looking perfectly red and ripe, so we couldn't resist making an apple tart.
A classic among classics, the apple tart is as popular in France as it is in Ireland, although the way we enjoy it isn't quite the same. Indeed, while in Ireland we mostly eat apple pies, made with a top & bottom crust filled with apples, in France we mostly have them presented as a tarts, filled with an applesauce and decorated with an apple rosette.
You can really use any variety of apples sold in supermarkets, depending on your taste. Here, we'll be using Elstar apples, a sweet and crispy variety, perfect for this tart. For the shortcrust, we included 25 grams of ground almonds because it complements the filling very nicely, but this is optional and you can, of course, do a normal sweet shortcrust instead.
We've tried to make this tart as close as the ones you can get in French bakeries. Ideally, I would have chosen a different way of glazing because my apricot jam was actually an apricot conserve with bits. That's the reason my glazing is not as glossy and uniform as the ones in bakeries - but it still tastes just as delicious.
It's fresh, it's fruity, and it's summer-y !
 45 minutes |
 30 minutes |
 8 slices |
Ingredients
For the shortcrust :
200 grams of plain flour
25 grams of ground almonds
50 grams of caster sugar
1 gram of salt
100 grams of butter
60 grams of eggs ( ~ 1 egg )
For the Apple sauce :
400 grams of apples ( ~ 3-4 apples )
50 grams of sugar
50 grams of water
20 grams of maple syrup
Half a teaspoon of cinnamon
Juice of half a lemon
Apple rosette:
~ 1 - 2 apples
10 grams of butter
10 grams of light brown sugar
Glazing:
50 grams of apricot jam
1 tablespoon of water
Bakeware :
Round tart tin of 22 cm
Rolling pin
Start on the shortcrust
>> In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, ground almonds and salt.
>> Dice the butter in little cubes and add them to the bowl. The best method is to get your hands in there, and "break up" the bits of butter with the dry ingredients mix between your fingers until it becomes crumbly -like in the picture below-.
>> Whisk the egg lightly and then add it to the bowl. Mix it until well incorporated and you can form a nice ball of dough.
>> Grab some cling film and cover your dough. Leave it to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
>> Dice the butter in little cubes and add them to the bowl. The best method is to get your hands in there, and "break up" the bits of butter with the dry ingredients mix between your fingers until it becomes crumbly -like in the picture below-.
>> Whisk the egg lightly and then add it to the bowl. Mix it until well incorporated and you can form a nice ball of dough.
>> Grab some cling film and cover your dough. Leave it to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Make the Apple sauce
>> In the meantime, grab 3 or 4 apples, depending on the size, until you have approximately 400g.
>> Peel, core and dice the apples.
>> Add the sugar, water, maple syrup, cinnamon and lemon juice in a sauce pan.
>> Add the apples and place over low heat.
>> Let it simmer for 20 minutes, or until the apples are soft.
>> Grab a plunging mixer and mix the apples. You can mix it until very smooth if you prefer smooth apple sauce, or leave some bits of apples, depending on your preference. If you don't have a mixer, grab your patience and a fork to mash the apples.
>> Once done, cover it with cling film and place it in the fridge.
>> Peel, core and dice the apples.
>> Add the sugar, water, maple syrup, cinnamon and lemon juice in a sauce pan.
>> Add the apples and place over low heat.
>> Let it simmer for 20 minutes, or until the apples are soft.
>> Grab a plunging mixer and mix the apples. You can mix it until very smooth if you prefer smooth apple sauce, or leave some bits of apples, depending on your preference. If you don't have a mixer, grab your patience and a fork to mash the apples.
>> Once done, cover it with cling film and place it in the fridge.
Roll out the shortcrust
>> Pre-heat your oven at 180°C (no fan).
>> Your shortcrust should now be ready. Dust your work space with flour and place your dough on it.
>> With a rolling pin, roll out the pastry dough flat.
>> Place it on the tart tin. You can roll the flat dough around your rolling pin to help you.
>> Pierce the dough with a fork and cut the superfluous dough from around the tin.
>> Your shortcrust should now be ready. Dust your work space with flour and place your dough on it.
>> With a rolling pin, roll out the pastry dough flat.
>> Place it on the tart tin. You can roll the flat dough around your rolling pin to help you.
>> Pierce the dough with a fork and cut the superfluous dough from around the tin.
Blind bake the shortcrust
>> Cover your shortcrust base with parchment paper and fill it with baking beans.>> Blind bake your tart for 10 minutes, until slightly golden. Depending on your oven, it might need more or less time.
>> Once blind baked, take it out and let it rest at room temperature.
Decorate the tart
>> Preheat the oven at 180°C (no fan).
>> Once the blind baked crust have cooled down a bit, fill the bottom of your tart with the apple sauce, and smooth the mixture with the back of a spoon.
>> Once peeled and cut, the apples will start to turn brown because they oxidize. To avoid this, grab a mixing bowl and mix a bit of water with the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon. Peel one apple, core it and slice finely. As soon as one half of the apple is sliced, place them in the lemon water, this will stop them from turning brown. Slice the second half, place it in the lemon water and start placing the apple slice on the tart. Continue cutting the apples until you finish the first outer circle.
>> Fill the middle with little bits of apples you might have left, and cover up with additional slices.
>> Once you're satisfied with the result, dice a small amount of butter, place on top of your apples and dust with light brown sugar. This will help caramelize the apple topping.
>> Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes.
>> Once the blind baked crust have cooled down a bit, fill the bottom of your tart with the apple sauce, and smooth the mixture with the back of a spoon.
>> Once peeled and cut, the apples will start to turn brown because they oxidize. To avoid this, grab a mixing bowl and mix a bit of water with the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon. Peel one apple, core it and slice finely. As soon as one half of the apple is sliced, place them in the lemon water, this will stop them from turning brown. Slice the second half, place it in the lemon water and start placing the apple slice on the tart. Continue cutting the apples until you finish the first outer circle.
>> Fill the middle with little bits of apples you might have left, and cover up with additional slices.
>> Once you're satisfied with the result, dice a small amount of butter, place on top of your apples and dust with light brown sugar. This will help caramelize the apple topping.
>> Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes.
Finishing touches
>> Once the tart is cooked, brush a bit of the liquid jam over the tart and serve!
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