French Apple Tart

A classic and so delicious in its simplicity. This is my go-to tart pastry; easy to work with and delicious. The ‘marmalade’ is French for a quick applesauce basically, so don’t be intimidated. Try it!

Tart Pastry (Pâte Briseé):

1 1⁄4 c all-purpose flour
1 T sugar (for sweet tarts, omit for savory)
1⁄4 t kosher salt
1⁄2 c (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, lightly beaten
3-5 T ice water (can also use half ice water, half vodka for flakier crust)

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process 5 seconds to combine.

Add the butter, and pulse until you have a coarse meal, but be careful not to overprocess; you want some butter chunks for a flakier dough. Add egg and pulse. Add ice water, beginning with 3 tablespoons, adding more as needed. Remove dough from the food processor, press into a thin disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 1 hour before rolling (can be prepared 2 days before).

Roll out dough on a floured surface. Gently ease dough into a tart pan with a removable bottom or tart ring. Place in the refrigerator while you prepare apples.

Marmelade de pommes (apple filling):

2-3 apples, peeled and chopped
2 T butter
2 T sugar
2 T water
Vanilla and cinnamon to taste

Place all ingredients in a saucepan - stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes to evaporate all the water. The chunks of apple will still be visible. Remove from heat and let cool.

3 large or 4 small apples: Peel apples and cut in half. Using a sharp knife, remove the core leaving as much of the apple intact as possible. Place the apple half flat on the cutting surface and slice thin (1⁄8”) half moons of apple, as uniformly as possible.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. To assemble tart, spread cooled apple filling into unbaked tart shell. Arrange apples slices in a decorative circular pattern. Sprinkle top with 1-2T sugar if desired. Bake for 35-45 minutes.