French Apple Tart

This past Sunday we hosted a lunch get-together with some friends.

I made this French Apple Tart from Barefoot Contessa and is now

my go-to recipe for a simple, quick, and delicious dessert.

You can opt to make your own dough or buy pre-made puff pastry dough.

Since I didn't bring my food processor with me, I had to buy the dough.

Recipe

For the pastry:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

1/2 cup ice water

For the apples:

4 Granny Smith apples

1/2 cup sugar

4 tablespoons (1/2) stick cold unsalted butter, small diced

1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam

2 tablespoons Calvados, rum, or water

Directions:

For the pastry, in your food processor combine all ingredients except butter and ice water and pulse

until ingredients are combined. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits

the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse until

the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a flour board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap

in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F or 205 degrees C. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14 inches. Trim the edges so that it is rectangular in shape.

Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp

knife. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples

diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of

the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar

and dot with the butter. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour (I bake mine for 30 minutes) until the

pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. The apples juices will burn

but the tart will be fine! When the tart is done heat the apricot jelly together with

the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture.

Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper.

Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.