Erik's brother, Bryan, was in town for the night, so I thought I'd make a little dessert for us all to share. I love desserts with fruit (maybe on some level I believe the healthiness of the fruit cancels out the less-than-healthiness of dessert), and since fall is just around the corner--though you'd never know it here in Texas--I thought apples would be perfect.
In New York State, apples are synonymous with autumn. Growing up in Rochester, every fall we'd hit up Schutt's Apple Mill for apples, cider, and apple freezes (a creamy frozen concoction made from apple cider). In that part of the world the weather actually changes in the fall, and so we'd bundle ourselves up in thick sweaters and woolly socks to go find the perfect pumpin for carving or to lug home a big bushel of fresh russet apples. To this day, the smell of apples reminds me of fall in Upstate New York and of Schutt's.
Eliza and I will be visiting Rochester in September and I'm definitely going to pencil in a trip to Schutt's. It will be the perfect time of the year, and I'm excited to share the experience with Eliza.
In the meantime, I thought an easy apple tart would be a perfect dessert for Bryan's last-minute visit. I used the store-bought puff pastry I had in my freezer (once the weather cools off a bit I'll be making my own doughs again) and made the Quick Apple Tart from Epicurious/Gourmet. I followed the recipe pretty closely, with only a couple of minor changes (I used Earth Balance instead of butter and I sprinkled some almonds on the tart after it was done baking), and it turned out great. The bottom burned a little, but that was my fault--I baked the tart on the bottom rack of my oven when I should have put it on the top rack. Lesson learned. It was still delicious. There are three pieces left that will make awesome breakfasts for the next couple of days.
The tart would be equally yummy with pears, or even with peaches or plums. Or blueberries or raspberries. My point is, it's a very versatile recipe that I will probably use again when I need a fancy-looking dessert for last-minute company. Oh, and the almonds really did nothing for the tart. I will probably just skip them next time.
Quick Apple Tart
(adapted from Epicurious/Gourmet)
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed
3 medium apples (I used Pink Ladies), peeled, cored, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons Earth Balance, melted
3 tablespoons sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup apricot jam, melted
1/4 cup slivered almonds
Preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unfold the pastry on the parchment paper. Using the tines of a fork, pierce a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the pastry, then pierce the center all over. Arrange the apples on the pastry, overlapping the slices and leaving the border clear. Brush the apples with the melted Earth Balance, then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Bake for 30 minutes. Brush the melted jam over the apples, then bake the tart until golden, about 8 minutes longer. Sprinkle the almonds over the top of the tart. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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