This Thin Apple Tart is made with only 5 components: a puff pastry circle, apples, butter, sugar and a glaze. It is a minimalist tart that truly lets the apple shine – so make sure you choose the right apples. 

Choosing the Right Apples

This rule applies to any baking project that includes apples: choose baking apples. Honey Crisp, Jonagold, Braeburn, Mutsu, Golden Delicious, Northern Spy or Granny Smith are all great varieties to use here. These aren’t as juicy once baked, and won’t turn mushy, nor make the crust underneath soggy. 

I recommend you stick to only 1 variety of apple for this thin tart recipe. Do not mix different varieties or the tart may not look harmonious once baked. 

I personally love to use Granny Smith or Honey Crisp to make this Thin Apple Tart recipe. Both these varieties are crisp and not too sweet. They also have a firm flesh that holds its shape when baking, which is perfect for slicing the apples very thinly and creating a pretty pattern. 

The apples need to be peeled and then cut in very thin slices. To do so, you can use a mandoline or cut by hand, using a very sharp kitchen knife.

The final glazing, know as “abricoter”

The final step for this elegant Thin Apple Tart is known in French as “abricoter”. Abricoter is brushing apricot jam, thinned out with water on top of the fruits after the tart is baked. Apple or currant jellies are often used too. This gives the fruits a lovely glaze while protecting them from drying out or oxidizing (turning darker/brownish). 

This process is used a lot in Classic French pastry, and you can see the majority of fruit tarts in bakeries bearing a lovely glaze. 

For this Thin Apple Tart, I love to use a traditional Apricot jam thinned out with water as it gives a subtle yellow glaze that is perfect to highlight the apple slices. You could also use an apple jelly as the taste would go hand-in-hand with the taste of this tart. However, I don’t recommend using a red currant jelly as its red color would be too dark for the apple slices. 

More Cooking notes: 

• Although I honestly often rely on store-bought puff pastry to save time, you can of course make your own puff-pastry from scratch. For this, I recommend the rough puff pastry recipe from Clotilde Dusoulier. It is easy to make, uses lots of butter (in true French fashion) and turns out great. 
• Act fast when rolling out and cutting out the puff pastry into a circle and transferring it onto the baking sheet. Puff pastry warms up quickly and can get sticky. 
• Do not over-brush melted butter on top of the apples or you will get butter oozing out of the tart in the oven. Simply apply a thin single brushing over the apples. 
• Like most puff pastry baked goods, this tart should be served the day it is made. After that, the puff pastry crust looses its crunch and flakiness. 

I hope you’ll love this Classic French Thin Apple Tart (Tarte Fine Aux Pommes) as much as I do! If you have any questions, please leave a comment. 

You may also like:

• Classic French Apple Tarte Tatin
• Gluten-Free Apple Crisp 
• Classic French Apple Cake 
• Classic French Pear Cake 
• Pork Chops with Apples & Cider Sauce 

Classic French Thin Apple Tart (Tarte Fine Aux Pommes)

Print Recipe

Serves: 8 Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 25 Minutes 25 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 5 voted )

Ingredients

3 large baking apples
Sheet of puff pastry (approx. 10in x 10in/20.5x20.5cm)
1 tbsp  (14g) unsalted butter
2 tbsp (25g) sugar
1/2-2 tbsp apricot jam or apple jelly (30-40g)

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 400°F (200°C) with a rack in the middle. Line up a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Step 1 - On a lightly floured working surface, roll out the sheet of puff pastry to a 13-inch (33cm) square. Then, cut out a 12-inch (30.5cm) circle from that dough – using a plate or a tart pan placed on top of the sheet as a guide if you want. Poke the circle all over with a fork. Transfer the puff pastry circle onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet and place in the fridge while you cut the apples. 

Step 2 -Peel and core the apples. Cut them in half or quarters, and slice them into very thin slices – by hand or using a mandoline. 

Step 3 -Remove the puff pastry from the fridge. Arrange the apple slices over the pastry in a circular pattern and overlapping – start with the largest apple slices for the outer circle and keep the smallest apple slices for the center. You do not need to leave a border all around. 

Step 4 -Melt the 1 tablespoon of butter and brush it onto the apples. Sprinkle the tart evenly with sugar. 

Step 5 -Bake the tart for 25 minutes or until the crust edges are dark brown and the apples look slightly caramelized. Let cool 2-3 minutes and transfer onto a cooling rack.  Mix the apricot jam with 1 tbsp of water, and brush the glaze onto the apples.

The post Classic French Thin Apple Tart (Tarte Fine Aux Pommes) appeared first on Pardon Your French.

The Great Lille Braderie is just a few days away! This centuries-old street market is the largest one in Europe, and a time of festivities for locals and visitors. Over 2 days, the city center fills with thousands of vendors and millions of curious gawkers hoping to find antique gems and forgotten treasures. A true ode to history laden furniture, fixtures and objects – all so specific to the French lifestyle.

So, how about joining in the celebrations (in spirit) with one of the most emblematic treats of the region: the Sugar Pie from Hauts-de-France  (not to be confused with the Sugar Pie from Quebec)?

Sugar is a beloved ingredient in the North of France. In the 19th century, France’s first beet sugar refineries established themselves around Lille, importing sugar from French colonies and through the port of Dunkerque. The Vergeoise (the sugar extracted from beet) became a common good in households and supplied bakers with infinite inspiration for sugar baked goods.

Though it can come in many variations, this Sugar Pie from Hauts-de-France recipe is a thin brioche, topped with an egg-based cream and sugar, that all gets baked to golden perfection. The authentic recipes call for the use of real vergeoise (beet brown sugar), though regular brown sugar will work well too. This rich brioche-like pie can be enjoyed for breakfast, or as a dessert after lunch, according to tradition.

Sugar Pie from Hauts-de-France

Print Recipe

Serves: 8 Prep Time: 3 hours Cooking Time: 30 minutes 30 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 3.3/5

( 8 voted )

Ingredients

For the brioche:
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tsp (10g) dry yeast
1 large egg
¼ cup (50g) white sugar
1/4 cup (55g) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (115 ml) milk (2%)
1 pinch of salt
For topping:
¾ cup (125g) Vergeoise (or regular brown sugar)
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp (30ml) heavy cream
3 tbsp (45g) butter 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

butter (at room temperature)

Instructions

In a small sauce pan, warm up the milk (just warm, not hot) and add in 1 tablespoon of sugar and the dry yeast. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, the rest of the sugar, the butter and the egg. Add in the milk mixture, and mix with your hands until you can shape the dough into a ball. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let rise for 1hr30min.

Spread the dough on a working surface and place it in a greased pie plate. Let rise again for 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 370°F (190C)

Poke the dough several times with a fork. Sprinkle the vergeoise (or brown sugar) on top. Mix together the egg yolk and the cream, and pour the mixture on top. Cut the butter in tiny cubes and sprinkle them on top as well.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the pie is golden and the edges look caramelized.

This recipe is translated and adapted from the French food blog Herve Cuisine. 

The post Sugar Pie from Hauts-de-France appeared first on Pardon Your French.