Best Freestyle Apple Tart Recipes

TASTY APPLE TART

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and toss with a fork until dough can be formed into a ball. , On a floured surface, roll dough into a 13-in. circle. Place on an ungreased 12-in. pizza pan; turn edges under. Sprinkle crust with 2 tablespoons sugar. Beginning at the outside, arrange apples in a circular patter, overlapping each slice. Make a second circle facing the opposite direction. Continue alternating directions until crust is covered. , Brush apples with butter; sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 400° for 40-50 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden. , Combine jam and water; brush over apples. Serve warm.

FRENCH APPLE TART

Steps:

• For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.
• Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baller. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.) Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.
• Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

FREEFORM APPLE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Toss in the apple slices, brown sugar and cinnamon and cook over medium heat until the apples begin to caramelize or begin to get glazed with the sugar and butter.
• Roll out the puff pastry in a freeform shape. Roll in the outer edge about a half inch to form a crust. Spread the warm apples on top of the pastry. Brush the crust with the lightly beaten egg and sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden.

THIN AND CRISP APPLE TART

Steps:

• Peel, core and cut apples on a mandoline, so the slices are extremely thin, without being see-through. In a large bowl, toss the apple slices with lemon zest, lemon juice and salt, and set aside. Heat the oven to 400, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Use about 1 tablespoon of butter to grease the parchment. Sprinkle the buttered surface evenly with 2 tablespoons sugar.
• Roll out the puff pastry to about the size of the sheet pan, using a light dusting of flour if the dough is sticky, then place on top of the parchment. Arrange the apple slices on top of the pastry so that they overlap in rows, crowding as much apple in as you can and going all the way to the edges of the pastry.
• Bake for 25 minutes, then cut remaining butter into 8 or so pieces and scatter over the top of the apples. Mix the remaining sugar with cinnamon, if using, and sprinkle evenly all over the top. Return tart to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the apples are tender and just starting to color at their edges and the pastry is brown and cooked through underneath (lift a corner to check). If you want to color the apples more, leave the tart under the broiler for a minute or two. Using the parchment paper to lift the tart out, gently slide it out of the pan and onto a cooling rack. Let it to come down to room temperature before slicing.

FREESTYLE APPLE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line 9-inch pie plate with the crust. Carefully spread cream cheese in 6-inch circle in the center.
• Toss apples with sugar and flour; spoon over cream cheese.
• Fold crust partially over apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 25 minutes, covering loosely with foil for the last 5 minutes. Cool. Serve with whipped topping. Refrigerate leftovers -- yeah, that'll happen!