Tarte aux Pommes Recipe Card - French Apple Tart

Tarte aux Pommes Recipe Card - French Apple Tart

This is a classic style French apple tart (Tarte aux Pommes) with a sweet shortbread crust. This recipe combines sliced apples and an apple reduction sauce with a nice sweet liqueur, Calvados or Belle Paire with a dash of nutmeg. You will love the delicate flavors in this dessert!

5 from 10 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Keyword: apple dessert, baking, French apple tart, patisserie style tart

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 55

Servings: servings

Calories: 323kcal

Author: Analida Braeger

Ingredients

Crust:

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour sifted
4 oz butter sliced into about 10 pieces
2 Tbsp sour cream
2 Tbsp sugar
4 apples you want a tart apple, I like Granny Smith
½ cup sugar
1 dash nutmeg
2 oz sweet liqueur or brandy Calvados or Belle Paire work nicely
1 tsp lemon juice fresh squeezed juice
½ cup water

Glaze:

4 Tb. apricot jelly plus 1 Tbsp water

Instructions

Make the tart crust:

Preheat your oven to 375°F.
In a food processor, combine flour, butter, sour cream and sugar. Pulse until mixture looks like corn meal. Pack neatly into an ungreased tart pan and bake for about 15 minutes. Until golden brown.
When tart crust is ready, remove from oven. Turn the oven temperature down to 350°F.

Make the apple filling:

Peel, core and cut apples in thin crescent shapes. I like to use a mandolin slicer set at ⅛". Also put apple slices into a bowl of water with lemon juice to keep from browning while you work. Two of the apples should be diced finely.
Place diced apples in a saucepan with the nutmeg, add the ½ cup of sugar, and the water. Cook slowly until reduced. As they soften, smash down with spoon. The texture should resemble that of a thick applesauce. Stir in the liquor until fully absorbed and no liquid runs when pushed to the side of the pan. Remove from stove and place in fridge for twenty minutes until cool. You do not want to place hot apple sauce on the baked tart shell.

Construct the tart and bake:

Spread the chilled apple sauce mixture on the bottom of the baked tart.
Take your apple slices and dry them on a kitchen towel. Arrange them in neat rows slightly overlapping each other. Sprinkle with sugar (approximately ½ cup) and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until you notice that the apples are starting to get golden brown.
After 20 minutes the apples slices will be very soft and you can turn up the oven to 425°F and watch the tart very carefully for a nice caramelization of the sugar on top and browning of the apple slices. Watch this very closely. Once brown remove from the oven.

Glaze the finished tart:

While the tart is baking place the apricot jelly and mix with 1 TB water in a microwave safe dish. Heat for about 20 seconds on high or until is it very soft and runny.
Remove from oven, and using a pastry brush lightly glaze the apples. You can serve this dessert warm or cold; it is delicious either way.

Notes

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I freeze the tart shell and make the tart later? Yes, once the tart shell has completely cooled you can freeze for up to 2 months.
Can I make this tart ahead? Yes, the finished tart stays nice and crisp for 1-2 days. We usually consume the tart the same day but you can store it in the refrigerator 2 to 3 days and heat it up in the oven. It is really nice when it is warm. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes until warm in the center.
How long can we keep the finished tart in the refrigerator? It is best to eat this tart fresh after it has baked. It will last for 2-3 days in the refrigerator but the crust will start to get slightly softer.
Do I have to let the tart shell cool before adding the apple filling? No, you can add the filling after the tart shell comes out and layer on the apple slices.
Can I remove the shell from the pan and fill? No, leave the tart shell in the tart pan while you construct the tart. Use a tart pan with a removable bottom plate and leave it in the pan until you are ready to serve. Pop it out of the pan and place it on a platter leaving the bottom pan plate in place. You can glaze it while on the platter or before you remove it from the tart pan.
Why did my tart dough turn into a ball? You likely over mixed the dough in the food processor. Be sure to stop pulsing the dough mixture as soon as it looks like a granular fine meal.
Can I freeze the finished tart? You can freeze this tart in a freezer bag or in an airtight container 1-2 months for the best results. Thaw the tart in the refrigerator over night and then bake at 350°F for about 12-15 minutes until warm in the center.

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