apple season is here!

Every fall I get excited for apple season! Over the weekend, I went to a favorite local farm to get some apples, etc... Their apples weren't quite ready to be picked yet, so we will go back to pick our own later, but they did have a little bit of jonathan & gala apples! They are so good just for eating, but I had to bake a little something with them... So, I made a French Apple Tart!!

This recipe is adapted from the book,"Plum Gorgeous". It is a simple country-style apple tart.

It was my first attempt at making a tart... I didn't have a normal tart pan, so I used a springform pan & it worked great! This recipe is for a 8-9 inch tart.

To make the Pâte Brisée or short crust dough...

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons sugar

Pinch salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into cubes

2-3 tablespoons ice water

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a  food processor. Put the cold, cubed butter in the food processor with the flour mixture & pulse the mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Do not over mix. Of course, you could use a pastry cutter or fork too. Stir in just enough water to bring the dough together. 

Turn out the dough on to a lightly floured surface & form it in a ball. Flatten it into a disk and wrap in plastic to refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Line your pan with parchment paper & then roll out the dough to fit into the pan. Gently form the dough around the bottom & edges. Fold excess dough over to make a thicker edge. Be sure to poke the bottom of the tart shell all over with a fork. Chill for another 20 minutes or so.

To make the apple filling...

Peel, core, & thinly slice about 4-5 apples.

Make a cinnamon & sugar mixture. 

To fill the tart shell, first sprinkle cinnamon-sugar on the bottom on the shell. Then arrange a layer of apples, fanning out in a circle, so that they overlap. Sprinkle with plenty of cinnamon-sugar. Layer more apples & cinnamon-sugar until the shell is full. Sprinkle top with cinnamon-sugar & dot with butter. 

Bake the tart until the apples are tender & the crust is golden, about 45-50 minutes. 

Warm a small amount of apricot jam, thinning it with a little bit of water to make a glaze. Generously brush the apples with the apricot glaze when the tart comes out of the oven.

Best served warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!