Looking for a quick and delightful dessert that will amaze your guests? Look no further than the freezer aisle of your local grocery store, where you can discover frozen sheets of ready-made puff pastry. Puff pastry has a magical quality – it may appear unassuming in the package, but it transforms into a golden, flaky masterpiece, perfect for crafting fruit tarts, chocolate pastries, and savory hors d’oeuvres. One evening, before a trip to the bustling streets of New York City, I whipped up an enchanting apple tart. My mom, who happened to be visiting that night, hadn’t witnessed the creation, but one bite had her eyes rolling in delight. She absolutely adored it!
Yields: 8 – 12 servings Prep Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 package of thawed puff pastry sheets, each sheet cut into halves or thirds
- 3 apples, cored, halved, and thinly sliced
- 2/3 cup of brown sugar
- A pinch of salt
- Optional for serving: powdered sugar, caramel sauce, whipped cream
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Lay out the puff pastry rectangles on two baking sheets, previously greased with nonstick spray. Combine the brown sugar and salt with the apple slices. Allow them to sit for a few minutes.
- Arrange the apple slices in a neat line on the pastry rectangles, overlapping them as you go. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the pastry turns puffy and achieves a beautiful golden brown hue.
- As soon as you remove them from the oven, transfer the tarts to a serving platter. Serve them as is or enhance them with caramel topping, whipped cream, or a light dusting of powdered sugar.
Creating the Apple Tart:
To embark on crafting these delectable apple tarts, you’ll need frozen puff pastry, conveniently found next to the pies and pastries in your supermarket’s freezer section. Typically, you’ll find two sheets in each package, folded into thirds, resembling rectangles.
Let the pastry sheets thaw on the counter for about twenty minutes, and then gently unfold them. This will result in one sheet of puff pastry.
Now, for the tarts, you have two options:
Option 1: Cut the sheet into three thinner rectangles by following the existing scores. This yields three smaller tarts with less puff around the edges.
Option 2: Cut the sheet in half to produce more puff around the edges. Either choice works perfectly.
Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and place the puff pastry rectangles on it. Make sure not to let the pastry become too soft; a brief stint in the freezer for a couple of minutes can help if needed.
Next, prepare 3 to 4 apples by coring them, cutting in half, and slicing them as thinly as possible. Drizzle lemon juice over the apple slices to prevent browning.
Add approximately 1 cup of brown sugar to the apples and sprinkle in around 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Gently stir the apples together, allowing them to sit for a few minutes to release their juices.
Now, simply arrange the apple slices in a straight line on top of the puff pastry, overlapping them as you go. Depending on your choice of cutting the pastry, you’ll either have a thinner or wider base.
Bake your creations at 415 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes, keeping a close eye on them toward the end. The pastry should puff up beautifully, but sometimes it takes until the last moments to reach perfection.
Note: Due to the juice and sugar in the apples, some liquid may ooze during baking. Don’t fret; just remove the tarts from the pan as soon as they’re out of the oven.
The result? Absolutely stunning! These tarts look like you’ve spent hours in the kitchen when, in reality, it only took a mere five minutes (excluding thawing and baking time).
You can serve them as is or elevate them by drizzling a tablespoon of caramel topping, adding a dollop of sweetened whipped cream, or lightly dusting with powdered sugar.
For the finishing touch, cut thin slices and serve them alongside vanilla or cinnamon ice cream. Using a smaller ice cream scoop adds a special touch.
The next time you want to impress your guests with your culinary skills, pull out some puff pastry and create these marvelous apple tarts. They’ll become your go-to dessert in no time at all. Enjoy!
image source : foodnetwork
