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Apple Tart (Tarte Aux Pommes)

A Tarte Aux Pommes, or apple tart as Americans call it, is the quintessential French dessert to me.  This is one of the first sweet pastries I learned to make in culinary school and I still remember how excited I was to learn it.  I also remember how hard it was to master at first. The perfect crust, flaky and butter, but not dry.  Slow-cooked apple compote, with just the right amount of sweetness and tartness, and the slightly softened but not mushy perfectly fanned apple slices with just a touch of coloration.

This was a complex dessert and as someone who did not enter culinary school eager to learn sweets, I was intimidated.  But learning how to make it was well worth it.  Now this is one of my favorite go-to desserts. This apple tart is delicious, and it reminds me of living in New York in my mid-twenties, beginning my culinary career.  This is the same recipe I learned to make at French Culinary Institute, only some slight tweaking has been made by me–why mess too much with a good thing?

apple tart apples

I love a great apple. While you can buy apples all year long, they are the most delicious in the cooler months.  I eagerly await a delicious honey crisp, which first came to market in the 1960s, and pink Lady (otherwise known as Crispps Pink), which did not make their way to the US till the 1990s.  These are two of my favorite varieties.  Both are fantastic for baking, and both are on the less sweet side.  But I believe you should bake with the apples you like best.  If you need some guidance on the more than 100 types of apples, check out this US Apple Association article about apple varieties.

apple tart dough

For my apple tart, I use the pate brisee crust recipe I previously posted, as it is my favorite crust.  Many people say to me that they are nervous about making their crust, including because of the labor involved.  Making your crust does not have to be a chore.  in culinary school, we were only permitted to make dough by hand.  That was labor intensive.  That is not what I do at home.  A kitchen mixer, such as a Cuisinart, is ideal for making this tart dough.

The key, as is the key with all doughs, is not to over-mix it.  Use the pulse feature and be watchful.  Once the crumbles roll into a ball, stop pulsing, and form it into a disk with your hands.  The other key thing to remember is to allow the dough time to rest.  Resting helps the butter from melting.  That helps your tart bake better and keep its shape.  This dough can also be made in advance and frozen.  Just remember to defrost it slowly inside the refrigerator the day you plan to bake it off.

apple tart crust

The apple compote for this apple tart recipe is the key to its success.  Apple type is a personal preference, I like a combination of sweet and tart but most varieties can work.  The slow cooking of the apple compote helps cook out the water within the apples.   This helps further sweeten the apples, avoids giving the apples a mushy texture, and sets this dish apart from the more traditional American apple pie.

apple tart pan

Peel, core, and slice your apples right before using them to maintain their color and prevent too much oxidation.  Some oxidation will occur as you can see in the photo above, that is completely fine, don’t worry about it. The apples should be placed close together, slightly overlapping, and without gaps.  Small broken apple pieces are great fillers and should be used in any openings you may see.  The goal is for no compote to be visible.  Once baked, the apples shrink and if the apple layers are not overlapped enough, it looks like you skimped on apples.

Baking your tart should naturally brown the apple edges lightly.  But ovens can be uneven, and opening the oven can reduce temperatures.  So sometimes, you need to go into your bag of tricks.  If you want more coloration or your coloration is uneven, turn on the broiler for a few seconds.  But remain ultra vigilant and watch, rotating the tart as needed for even browning.  It only takes seconds so whatever you do, don’t walk away from the oven if you try this!

apple tart

An apple tart is a great dessert option for any special occasion but is rustic and simple enough to serve after a family meal on Sunday. I like to serve mine “au natural“.  But if you prefer, you can also increase the wow factor by glazing it with apricot jam that has been slightly thinned with a teaspoon of water.

Brushed lightly with a pastry brush, you can achieve a glossy finish similar to the apple tarts you see in stores.  No matter how you finish this classic French dessert, making it yourself is worth the time and effort if you love a classic apple tart as much as I do.  Another apple favorite of mine is my Dutch apple pie, which I highly recommend if you are looking for more of an apple/cake/pie combination.

apple tart

About the Author

Andrea Potischman

I am a professionally trained NYC chef turned CA mom and food blogger. I post about real food, with doable ingredient lists that are family friendly.

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