French Apple Tart is a timeless dessert, known for its irresistibly airy lightness. This variation is made with store-bought puff pastry, allowing you to whip up this exquisite treat in no time at all. You simply layer paper-thin apple slices on top of the pastry and finish with a dollop of indulgent jelly! Nom! 🍎
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French desserts, like French fashion, embody elegance, and (quite surprisingly to me) BOTH simplicity AND sophistication at the same time.
I don't know what it is about French elegance, but it always hits the mark. The French really have a knack for it! Just consider French fashion and how it flatters our figures. And then there are - mhhmmm - those delicate French desserts that delight our taste buds.
This apple tart is a prime example, it proves well the elegance and simplicity of sweet French treats. The tart features only a handful of ingredients (exactly five if using ready-made puff pastry); you can say it's downright minimalist. Yet, the individual components are so skillfully staged (delicately sliced apples, prettily arranged) that the result is a flavor revelation, even without pomp and glory (heavy cream layers, long list of ingredients, complicated preparation).
Tender and airy, I'm sure this dessert will transport you to a warm summer afternoon under a white and red awning at a quaint bistro table. Maybe a book lies open, forgotten for the moment, next to a plate adorned with a slice of cake. Bees buzz lazily in the air, and a gentle breeze caresses your skin. In this fleeting moment, EVERYTHING feels absolutely perfect.
French Apple Tart With PUFF PASTRY?
Yes, yes, YES, because using it makes preparing the tart a breeze.
Plus, "buttery" puff pastry can yield crispy, crunchy, golden-brown edges that closely resemble the tart dough used in a classic French apple tart recipe. So why bother with all the fuss of making it from scratch when you can simply opt for a ready-made—preferably organic and vegan—puff pastry?
And besides, if Jamie Oliver's French Apple Tart recipe uses puff pastry, it must be a winner.
Indeed it IS! It's a BRILLIANT idea to use puff pastry in this recipe! While you might typically associate puff pastry with fluffy, airy, soft pastries, it behaves quite differently in this context. Instead of rising, it remains thin and crispy, yet wonderfully "buttery" - the ideal base for the delicate, sweet, jellied apple slices.
Think of the crunchy edges of a croissant baked to a golden-brown perfection - and you get the idea. So, do yourself a favor, and make this quick French apple tart with puff pastry.
How to Make This Tart VEGAN
The only two critical ingredients in this recipe are the puff pastry and the whipping cream (cooking cream) used for brushing the apple slices and pastry edges. Nowadays, you can find both in good-quality vegan options. They taste almost like the original products and are available in organic varieties without any nasty additives.
Let's start with the puff pastry. In Germany, most decently sized grocery stores, whether organic or not, carry at least one brand of vegan puff pastry. Larger stores often offer a variety of vegan options from different brands. Is it as easy to find where you live? I hope so! (Life would be less delightful without puff pastry ;).
My favorite brand is called Donaustrudel; they offer vegan organic puff pastry that you can even buy on Amazon in Germany.
As for the whipping/cooking cream: You can use any brand or variety you like, just make sure it's unsweetened. I prefer one with about 17% fat (by the organic brand Provamel), but less or more is fine too. You could even brush the tart with plant-based milk mixed with a splash of neutral oil.
Recommended Kitchen TOOLS
You don't need anything besides a sharp knife, but the following two little kitchen tools come in handy when preparing the tart.
Economy Peeler
You'll need to peel the apples for use in this recipe, and while a knife is a good tool for the job, an economy peeler (sometimes called a vegetable peeler) does it even better as less peel will be discarded. I particularly like the one by the brand WMF; for peeling anything curved (like apples, pears, or tomatoes), this classic peeler works best.
Pastry Brush
For the longest time, I resisted buying a pastry brush, using a teaspoon or - gasp! - my fingers to spread anything that needed to be brushed over something. Finally, I bought a pastry brush, and let me tell you! It does make brushing something liquid a gazillion times easier!
What You Can SERVE It With
This tart is wonderfully, yummyly perfect as it is. But you could serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice, especially on a lovely summer day. The warm crunchy tart and the cold soft ice cream make for a gorgeous contrast of temperatures and textures.
Here are some more options:
- A sprinkle of cinnamon
- A dash of whipping cream
- Vegan caramel sauce
- A drizzle of maple syrup
If you'd like to add a pop of green you can garnish your piece of tart with a couple of torn lemon balm leaves. If using, I recommend placing them sparingly on top of the tart just before serving. Lemon balm leaves have a strong flavor, so use them in moderation - you don't want them to overpower the taste of the apples.
Ok, here comes (imo) the best French apple tart recipe.
🍽 Recipe
Vegan French Apple Tart
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 medium apples
- 320 g rectangular vegan puff pastry
- 3 tablespoons vegan cooking cream
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons soft jam or jelly for the glaze ideally apple jelly or apricot jam
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 °C (400 °F) top/bottom heat.
- Peel the apples and slice them as thinly as possible into rounds. You don't need to remove the core; just discard any larger pieces of seeds.
- Take the puff pastry out of the fridge and let it sit for 5 minutes before using (this prevents it from breaking if too cold). Then unroll it onto a lined baking sheet.
- Arrange the best-looking apple slices over the pastry, ensuring they overlap slightly and leaving a small border of pastry around the edges.
- Brush the vegan cream over the apples and the border, then sprinkle the sugar evenly over both.
- Bake the tart until the apples and the crust turn a deep golden brown, usually around 25 to 30 minutes.
- Once done, remove the tart from the oven and immediately brush it with the glaze while it's still hot. (If the glaze is too thick, gently warm it up until it becomes more fluid for easier brushing.)
The recipe is inspired by David Lebovitz's French Apple Tarte. When slicing the apples, I drew inspiration from Half Baked Harvest's Salted Maple Apple Tarte Tatin. I found the round shape not only aesthetically pleasing but also more efficient for slicing the apples quickly.
I can't help but ask: What's your favorite French dessert INDULGENCE?
Wishing you planty of sweet delights,
Ramona
Psst, you'll love this LOL Moment French Word and these Insider Tips for Paris.
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