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French Apple Tart

French Apple Tart

This French Apple Tart is also known by it’s fancy sounding name as Apple Galette. It’s one of those things that look complicated but is actually easy enough to do. So if you are a budding baker or you are a seasoned but lazy baker like me, then this is the tart for you. Most of the time, pastry making is fiddly, but this is the simpler version.There’s no need for a specialty tart tin, no blind baking involved and if you’re in a hurry, a store bought pastry is a good substitute. It has the ”WOW’ factor, with minimal effort.

French Apple Tart
Perfect served warm with a scoop of Ice Cream.

The tart has a flaky crust topped with a layer of caramelised apples and glazed with warmed up jam. One of the simplest of all tarts, just a crust topped with fruit – it’s nice and light and not too sweet. Perfect to serve warm, with a scoop of your best Vanilla Ice Cream, or at room temperature with just a dusting of Icing Sugar. Love apples, here’s another easy recipe to try Apple and Cinnamon Crunch Cake.

There are two main components to this rustic tart- one is the rough flaky pastry, which you can easily do in a food processor , in a mixer or by hand. I prefer doing this using a mixer because it is quicker.If you’re pressed for time, use store bought puff pastry, it works just as well. The second component of Apple Galette, is the apples of course. Use any apple variety that keeps it’ s shape during cooking, like Braeburn, Jonathon or the my favourite, the tart and crispy Granny Smith Apples.

Flaky Pastry plus Caramelised Apples. Brushed with Jam to give it a sheen.

What you need to make French Apple Tart

  • Pantry/Fridge Staples- Plain Flour, Corn Flour,Sugar & Salt, Butter, Jam
  • Granny Smith Apples- Peeled, Cored and thinly sliced.
  • A sheet pan and some Baking Paper

Easy does it…

Crust Apple Tart
  • Make the pastry by combining the flours salt sugar and butter in a mixing bowl and mix on medium until it forms pea like pellets. Add cold water and mix until it forms a crumbly dough.
  • To make the dough using a food processor, pulse flour sugar and salt until combined. Add butter then pulse until it resembles peas. Add cold water and process until it forms a crumbly dough.
  • Tip the dough crumbs into a floured work surface and gather into a rectangle, using the palm of your hand to smear the butter into dough, until the dough comes together. This will take about 5 minutes. Fold the dough into itself to make a square and wrap in plastic warp. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
  • Take the pastry dough from the fridge and let it sit in the counter for about 10 minutes for it to soften a little so it’s easier to roll.
  • Cut a sheet of baking paper about 38x25cm (10 x 16 inches). Place the dough unto the baking paper and roll it out roughly the size of the baking paper. Trim the edges for a neat finish. Roll the edges of the pastry (approximately 2 cm) all around to create a border.
  • Peel and core the apples. Slice the apple in half, then slice across thinly about 1 cm thick. Set aside.
  • Starting from one corner of the pastry, lay the apple slices in neat diagonal rows and slightly overlapping each other until the whole pastry is covered by the apple slices.
  • Sprinkle the top evenly with sugar and dot with butter pieces, then bake for about 45-60 minutes (turn baking pan halfway after 30 minutes) or until the apples are caramelised and the pastry is deep golden brown.
  • Brush the tart with warmed up jam once it comes out of the oven.

Serving Options and Substitutions

  • In place of apples, use any stone fruit in season, like apricots, nectarines or pear.
  • If pressed for time, you can use a store bought puff pastry for the base. A good one to try is Careme Butter Puff Pastry.
  • Use warmed up jam or jelly that complements the fruit you are using as a glaze. Another favourite glaze is warmed up Cookie Dough Butter(Lotus Brand) that adds a cinnamon twist which is just perfect with Apples.
  • Best eaten on the day it’s made but will keep for few days. Serve warm with your best Vanilla Ice Cream or room temperature with a dusting of Icing Sugar.
If you do make this, let me know how you went I would love to know how what you think. Drop me a line via the comments section below, I would love to hear from you.

French Apple Tart

Recipe by Lola Adele
0.0 from 0 votes
Course: DessertCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Easy
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Plain Flour

  • 2 Tablespoons Corn Flour

  • 175g Cold Butter, cut into 2 cm cubes

  • Pinch of Salt

  • 4 Tablespoons Sugar

  • 1/4 cup Cold Water

  • Apple Layer
  • 4 Granny Smith Apples

  • 1/2 cup Caster Sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon Powder

  • 50g Butter, cut up into cubes

  • 1/2 cup Apricot Jam

Directions

  • Pastry Dough
  • Place flour salt and sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer with pastry or paddle attachment and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the butter and mix on medium speed until it clumps together. Add cold water and mix on medium speed until it resembles coarse crumbly sand.
  • Tip the dough into a floured surface and use the heel of your hand to press crumbs so the butter is incorporated as layers and form the dough into a rectangle . Fold the dough into itself to make a rough square. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
  • Remove chilled dough from fridge and let it rest in the counter for a few minutes so it is easier to roll.
  • Take the pastry from the fridge and let it sit in the counter for about 10 minutes to make it easier to roll.
  • Cut a sheet of baking paper 38x 25 cm and place the dough on top of baking paper and roll it roughly to the size of the baking paper. Trim the edges for a neat finish. Roll the edges of the pastry (about 2cm) all around the pastry to create a border. Slide the pastry with the baking paper into a baking tray.
  • Apple Prep
  • Peel and core the apples. Slice each apple in half then slice thinly across about 1 cm thick.
  • Set aside the apple slices until ready for use.
  • Assembly & Baking
  • Preheat oven to 180°C. Starting from one corner of the pastry, lay apple slices in a single layer in neat diagonal rows and slightly overlapping each other. Refer photo. Repeat with the remaining apples until the whole pastry is covered with apples.
  • Sprinkle the top evenly with sugar and dot with butter pieces.
  • Bake in a preheated oven for about 45 to 60 minutes( turn the pan halfway after 30 minutes) or until the apples are caramelised and the pastry is deep golden.
  • Brush with warmed up jam after taking tart from the oven. Slice into portions and serve warm with Ice cream or room temperature.

Notes

  • The prep time does not include resting the pastry. Australian Measurement Standards used.

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