French Apple Tart (Tarte de Pommes)

In honor of my first post, I present one of my favorite recipes. This French Apple Tart looks so beautiful and is really very simple to make!

It's made with a basic pie crust that you fill with an almond mixture called Frangipane. At first the idea of making this seemed intimidating but it really isn't difficult at all!

I have made this for parties, as gifts, and just to eat with a cup of tea! It's always a success and what I love about it, is that it is easy to make but looks beautiful too! I am all about having beautiful food that doesn't take hours and hours to perfect! :)

Here's the recipe with some slight modifications. I found it here on Allrecipes.com. A lot of the time, I make recipes and even though they have a lot of five star reviews, they just don't turn out well for me. Do you find that ever happens to you? Anyway, the five star reviews for this one really are true! It's delicious!

French Apple Tart (Tarte de Pommes)

For the Pastry:

1 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 pinch of salt

1/2 cup of butter, softened

1 egg yoke

3 Tablespoons cold water, or as needed

For the Frangipane:

1/2 cup of butter 

1/2 cup of white sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 egg yoke

1 Tablespoon of apple juice or apple cider

1/4 teaspoon of almond extract 

2/3 cup ground almonds 

2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

For the Pie

4 medium sweet apples - peeled, cored, halved, and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon white sugar for sprinkling on the top

1/4 cup of apricot jelly (optional)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 1/3 cups of flour and salt. Add the butter, 1 egg yolk and water, and stir until the mixture forms large crumbs. If it is too dry to press a handful together, stir in more water. Press the dough into a ball, and wrap in plastic wrap. Flatten slightly, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until firm. This part can be done up to three days in advance.

2. To make the frangipane, cream together the butter and 1/2 cup of sugar in a medium bowl until light and soft. Gradually mix in the egg and the remaining egg yolk one at a time. Stir in the apple juice and almond extract. Stir 2 tablespoons of flour into the ground almonds, then mix into the batter. Set aside.

3. Roll the pastry dough out to about a 12 inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Fold loosely into quarters, and center the point in a 10 inch tart or pie pan. Unfold dough, and press into the bottom and up the sides. Prick with a fork all over, and flute the edges. Return pastry to the refrigerator to chill until firm.

4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).  Place a baking sheet inside the oven while it preheats.

5. Spoon the frangipane into the chilled pastry, and spread into an even layer. Now for the fun part! Arrange the apple slices in an overlapping spiral pattern. Each slice should have one edge pressed into the frangipane until it touches the pastry base, and then overlap the previous slice. Start at the outside edge, and work towards the center.

6. Place the pie plate on top of the baking sheet in the preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the filling begins to brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for another 10 minutes, then sprinkle sugar over the top of the tart. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes, or until the sugar caramelizes slightly.

7. Cool the tart on a wire rack. A short time before serving, warm the apricot jelly. Add some water if necessary to make it a liquid consistency. Brush onto the tart for a nice shine. (This part is optional too. Sometimes I do it and sometimes I don't. It tastes great either way. The jelly really is just for looks to make it nice and shiny)

And there you have it! Doesn't that look yummy but lovely at the same time? Almonds and Apples really do go so well together! If you end up making this, do let me know how it went! Also, if you have your own pie crust recipe that you are happy with and comfortable making, you can use that one instead! Just substitute your pie crust for the crust recipe I gave here and move straight on the the frangipane part! :)