Back to my comfort zone of simple French treats – quick enough to whip up after school, work, or for goûter – tea or snack time.
People sometimes ask me about my “fascination” with France. But aren’t we all fascinated by it, in a way? This year, I want to make sure that Saffron & Honey – and you and I – stay focused on emphasizing these simple pleasures in the way that the French have perfected.
Let’s surround ourselves with moments, treats, and experiences that help us bring the joie de vivre to the everyday – even a gray everyday like this day in New York.
{p.s.} Don’t have any qualms about using store-bought pastry to save time. It may not be quite as flaky as the one you’d make yourself but, believe me, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it & many a busy French gal would agree! You will still have an opportunity to make the below recipe your own.
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 2 apples (I used Macintosh, try not to use anything too sweet)
- 1 Tablespoon AP flour
- 0.5 teaspoon cinnamon
- 0.5 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
- 0.25 cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons butter, cold and cubed
- 2 Tablespoons raspberry preserves
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Slice the apples very thinly, as thinly as you can. Do not peel! In a bowl, toss them gently with sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla bean powder.
- Roll out chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface - make it as freeform as you would like - and lay it flat onto a baking sheet lined with wax or baking paper.
- Layer the apple slices, keeping them snug next to each other, all along the pastry, leaving an inch-wide border. Crimp the edges.
- Dot cubed butter all over the apples and sprinkle with any cinnamon-vanilla sugar that is remaining in the bowl.
- Bake for 40 minutes, rotating halfway through, until pastry is golden and apples are soft.
- Prepare the glaze: heat 2 tablespoons of raspberry jam or preserves with half a cup of water. Reduce to a syrup. Use a pastry brush to brush warm glaze over still warm apple tart to get that glossy top.
Cecilia BuysWheeler Gunther says
January 3, 2017 at 11:57 pmThis is delightfully simple – I will try it soon ! I really will! c
saffronandhoney says
January 4, 2017 at 2:17 amExcellent!
Teresa says
January 6, 2017 at 12:16 amI’m happy to be back to simple pleasures in January, too. Though, that tart would be as welcome at a dinner party as it would for an afternoon bite. I’m on board for using good quality prepared puff pastry. It’s a fun project to make it from scratch, but time and other projects mean that it’s not one I do often.
saffronandhoney says
January 6, 2017 at 8:13 amI love how versatile this tart is too, Teresa. Thank you!
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
January 12, 2017 at 6:58 pmLovely, very French indeed. I think one of the reasons French food is so good is because most of it is not too complicated.
saffronandhoney says
January 12, 2017 at 8:45 pmI happen to agree!
betsyb says
February 2, 2017 at 4:55 pmHow lovely this must be with the touch of raspberry preserves and the vanilla mixed with the fruit. I have never seen vanilla bean powder.
saffronandhoney says
February 2, 2017 at 7:04 pmThank you, Betsy! I have seen vanilla in paste form before, but never in powder until Tahiti (!) either. It’s nice in a pinch 😉 no pun intended!