Abeille Bakes: French Apple Tart

Earlier this month, we celebrated my mom's birthday by making dinner for her. My brother and his girlfriend handled the main course (incredible stuffed shells), while I was responsible for dessert. Baking is my thing, and my mom loves anything with apples in it, so I thought that an apple tart* would be a nice change from the usual carrot cake, and a good accompaniment to the meal.

For special occasions, I like to bake from scratch. However, I have yet to master pastry dough. Enter puff pastry. It's truly one of the best things available in the frozen food section. You can use it for pot pie, fancy "en croute" entrees, and most definitely when making a quick fruit tart. 

Imagine my dismay when I asked hubby to pick up some puff pastry for me and there wasn't any at the nearby store! In a bind, he told me that my only options were puff pastry shells and phyllo dough. Since I wanted to make one large dessert, I decided on the phyllo dough. It is tissue-paper thin, and you have to work fairly quickly so that it doesn't dry out, but it bakes up quickly and has a lovely flaky texture. In the end, the tart turned out to be delicious. No hard-line measurements here, you can truly do whatever you like.  Here's how I made it:

Peel, core, and thinly slice 4 apples (I used Granny Smith), and squeeze lemon juice over them to keep them from oxidizing. Lay out the phyllo dough sheet by sheet, and brush each layer (I made 8) with melted butter (3 or 4 tablespoons in total). Fold up the edges to make a border, and then place the sliced apples on top in any pattern you like... Diagonals make for an elegant presentation.

Sprinkle a mixture of sugar (about 1/4 cup granulated) and cinnamon (to taste) over the apples and phyllo dough. Then take 2 or 3 tablespoons of butter and dot little pieces over the whole dessert.

Bake in a preheated 425-degree oven. In order to keep the phyllo dough from burning, I had to create a makeshift foil tent for the edges after about 20 minutes. The tart should be finished within 40 minutes. My rule is that once the whole house smells like what you're baking, it's probably almost ready to take out of the oven.

Once you've taken the tart out of the oven, let it cool for a few minutes, and admire your handiwork.

Brush apricot jelly (heated in the microwave for 15 seconds or for a few minutes on the stove) over the top. The jelly doesn't overpower the apple flavor at all, but brings out a floral sweetness, and adds some nice color to the finished product.

Cut the tart and serve it warm or at room temperature. You can add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on on top.

If you want a delicious and easy dessert, make an apple tart.

*I was originally inspired by this recipe, and fully intended to make it as described (with the exception of store-bought puff pastry), but the phyllo dough threw me for a loop. The one I made could be considered a lighter version of the recipe.