French Apple Tart

Show: Barefoot ContessaEpisode: Easy French

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (99)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(99)

Cook Time:
1 hr 0 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
6 servings

Times:

Prep: 20 min
Inactive Prep: 1 hr 0 min
Cook: 1 hr 0 min
Total:: 2 hr 20 min

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Ingredients

For the pastry:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
12 tablespoons (11/2 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, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. 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 just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. 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 and a melon baler. 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. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.) Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's 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.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe French Apple Tart
Alicia Philadelphia, PA 11-08-2009
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Easy peasy!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I used puff pastry as well for this and it came out delicious. I used a little less than a third a cup of sugar and I wish... I'd used the entire 1/2 cup. I baked it for 45 minutes and instead of the jelly topping I used cinnamon! :) I really loved it but I wish I'd had parchment paper. :( The bottom burned and I was a little upset but it still tasted delicious! Read more
recipe French Apple Tart
robin portland, OR 11-08-2009
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consistantly delicious
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I've made this apple tart several times for family and friends now and it just keeps on getting better. It's simple and... focuses on the apple flavors with an incredibly rich dough to boot. simple and elegant I'll make this again and again-Ina Garten is truly the master of desserts! Also, I didn't have jam the last time I made it but I did have guava butter that I melted with the liquor and brushed on top--delicious!Read more
recipe French Apple Tart
null null, null 11-08-2009
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"Best" French Apple Tart
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This was easy to prepare, makes a great presentation, and had an excellent taste. Can't ask for more. What impressed me the... most was how easy the dough was to work with - this is definitely a keeper!Read more
recipe French Apple Tart
Cathy Concord, CA 11-03-2009
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So delicious!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I would be confident to say that I am not a baker. Good cook but baking is so precise. I had my poker ladies over and made... this for dessert. I was intimidated by the "crust" but made my way through it. Wow...it came out beautifully. I did not have Calvados so I opted not use use anything. It was perfect. My crust wasn't oblong but I liked the look of mine better because it looked a bit more rustic. Everyone loved it. Just enough tartness but with the apricot jam it was a wonderful contrast. I was amazed how easy this was. I can't wait to make it again! Read more
recipe French Apple Tart
Kristin San Antonio, TX 10-27-2009
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So happy with the outcome.
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

It was a delicious dessert. The apples were perfectly sweet. The pastry was golden and flaky. I loved the flavor the... apricot jelly added. I didn?t have Calvados, but I did have ApfelKorn (a yummy apple schnapps) which I used instead. I served a little old fashioned vanilla ice cream with it. Unfortunately I wasn?t able to get it as beautiful as Ina did. My apples were a little uneven. I used honey crisp apples instead of granny smith because that?s what I had on hand, but it didn?t seem to make much of a difference. I can?t wait to make this again for company. Read more
recipe French Apple Tart
Elya fair oaks, CA 10-25-2009
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Easy and Delicious!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This was my first time attempting pastry dough, and I'm glad to say that Ina's recipe and instructions made it an easy first... time! The crust came out perfectly flaky, buttery and delicious. The dessert as a whole was super yummy as well. I used Triple Sec in my glaze which complimented the other flavors nicely. I cooked the tart on my pizza stone, making the tart into a circle rather than a rectangle. It was beautiful! Served with a big scoop of Haagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche (caramel) ice cream...To die for!Read more