French apple tarts are typically made in a round pan with pate sucree, but this one is a band tart, rectangular in shape, and it uses two different doughs: pate sucree for the base and two strips of puff pastry for a border that holds the apples in (you won’t need a full recipe of the puff pastry freeze the rest for other desserts). The thin slices of apple are nestled into a pastry cream filling. When you fan the apple slices on the cream, they’re higher than the puff pastry, but as the tart bakes, the dough rises and the apples deflate, evening out the surface, and you end up with a rustic-looking tart.
Ingredients
- ½ recipe Pate Sucree
- 2 ounces each (60 grams each) (Puff Pastry, cold, two 16½-by-1¼-by-¼-inch- thick strips
- Egg Wash
- ¾ cups + 2½ (200 grams) tablespoons Pastry Cream
- 4 firm medium apples, such as Braeburn
- 0.8 ounce (25 grams) Unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) Light brown sugar
How to Make It
- Line a sheet pan with a Silpat or parchment paper. Roll the pate sucree out between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap to a 5-by- 16-inch rectangle, just under ¼ inch thick. Remove the top piece of parchment, flip the dough, and place it on the sheet pan. Remove the remaining piece of parchment. The ends of the pastry should touch the ends of the sheet pan; trim the dough or roll it slightly larger if necessary. Using a docker or a fork, prick the bottom of the dough to keep it from puffing as it bakes.
- Set the puff pastry strips on the long edges of the pate sucree, lining up the edges exactly. Using the tip of a paring knife, cut ¼-inch-deep diagonal slits every ½ inch around the edges of the dough. This decorative edge will help to keep the two doughs from separating as the puff pastry rises.
- Brush the tops of the puff pastry strips with egg wash. (If the egg wash drips down the sides onto the pan, the pastry will not rise evenly; transfer it to another lined pan.) Score the tops of the strips with 1/16-inch-deep diagonal lines ¼ inch apart. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day; or freeze for 20 minutes, or up to 3 days.
- Place the pastry cream in the pastry bag and pipe strips of frlling lengthwise over the pate sucree, covering it completely.
- Peel the apples, cut them lengthwise in half, and remove the stems and cores. Set each half cut side down on the work surface, and slice across into 1/8-inch-thick slices, keeping the slices of each half together.
- Fan out the apple slices, so that each slice overlaps the previous one by about one-third. Beginning at one corner of the tart and running down the length of that edge, stand the fanned apples in the frlling. Repeat with more lines of apples until you have filled the entire tart.
- The tart should be chilled before baking. Place it in the freezer for a few hours, or as long as overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (standard).
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar until it has dissolved.
- Carefully brush the top of the puff pastry with another coating of egg wash, then brush the apples with the warm brown sugar butter.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the apples are beginning to lie flat against the crust; if necessary, rearrange any slices that have fallen in the wrong direction. Continue to bake for another 30 minutes, or until the apples are tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife and the puff pastry is a rich golden brown. Set on a cooling rack and cool completely.
- Serve warm or at room temperature, cut crosswise into pieces. The tart is best within a few hours of baking.
