I know you’re eating apples right now. Why wouldn’t you be? I’m curious if you have a favorite kind. This is not one of those questions meant to illicit comments for the sake of having them. I am honestly curious which varieties of apples people prefer and why. They’re all so different! Macintosh are bright, shiny, and slightly tart. Fuji apples are crisp and sweet (my favorite). And the Golden Delicious are oh so mellow, my kids prefer them.
Eating them out of hand is my favorite way in the fall - preferably picked right off a tree from some upstate NY farm when the air has just enough of a chill to wear your new flannel. But it is also hard to top a dessert with apples in it, don’t you think?
The recipe I have in mind is silly easy. It’s almost embarrassing for the overachiever in the kitchen, since it uses a frozen puff pastry crust. If that’s you, then know that this is Ina Garten’s recipe. Feel better?
And if the thought of store-bought frozen puff pastry being embarrassing makes you roll your eyes, then you’ll probably agree with me that Pillsbury is the best brand for those sorts of things.
Apple Tarts
1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
4 small apples
3/4 c sugar
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, diced
3/4 c apricot jelly
3 tbsp rum or water
1. Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment.
2. Cut each sheet of pastry into 4 squares, place in the pans, and refrigerate.
3. Peel, core, and slice the apples thinly. Arrange them overlapping diagonally across the pastry. Sprinkle with sugar and dot with butter.
4. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden. Heat the apricot jelly and rum together until bubbly and brush the pastry and apples with the glaze. Serve warm or at room temperature.
