tart

Battle of the Apple Tarts – Round 2

November 9, 2015 By Francois Leave a Comment

Time for round 2 of Battle of the Apple Tarts!

If for round 1 I went for light and pretty, this round I am definitely going free-form and country with a Rustic Apple Galette. This recipe is super easy to follow and big enough for 4 (or 2 in my house). What makes it so unique is that I cook this galette in a cast iron skillet. It gives the crust a nice golden crunch and makes for quite the presentation. So let’s get to it!

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F. Peel, core and slice up 2 large apples. Mix with 2 teaspoons of flour and 2 teaspoons of sugar. I skipped cinnamon to get pure apple flavor but feel free to add some at this stage if you wish.

Roll out your puff pastry into a large square onto parchment paper. Don’t worry about edges not being perfect. We’re going for rustic here =)

…

Battle of the Apple Tarts – Round 1

November 5, 2015 By Francois Leave a Comment

The very first dessert I ever mastered was the classic French apple tart. There were 2 obvious reasons. 1 – It’s super easy to make. All you really need is puff pastry, sliced apples and apple sauce. 2 – if you are borderline OCD, and I sure am, nothing makes you happier than placing apple slices in a perfect spiral.

Now that we’re in full apple season, I wanted to try a few new concepts and perfect them in time for Thanksgiving. Lucky for me, I have plenty of friends willing to help me taste test my recipes.

I’ll be sharing 3 takes on the classic apple tart over the next couple of days. Today’s contender goes for the wow factor by shaping individual tarts like sweet caramelized apples. As with all apple tarts, you really don’t need much to make magic happen: puff pastry, apples, sugar, apricot jam, an egg and some cinnamon.

First, preheat your oven at 400 degrees F and roll out your puff pastry into a large rectangle.

Shape your apples and leaves by hand with a pairing knife or, if you want to go the easy route, do what I did and use cookie cutters. Here I used a large pumpkin cutter and a tiny leaf cutter. Place them all on a baking sheet.

…

Rustic Blackberry Galettes

July 20, 2014 By Francois 4 Comments

I made these blackberry galettes for a potluck last week and my friends have been raving about them ever since. Who knew a last-minute thrown-together dessert would be so popular? I guess easy is best when fruit is in season.

There is something strangely satisfying about making your own dough. If you’ve never tried it before, you simply HAVE to give it a shot. One, there is no taste comparison. Homemade is so superior to store-bought stuff. Two, you have total control over the ingredients and butter is always your friend when it comes to flavor. But most importantly, dough is so easy to make. It takes less than a minute. Not joking.

Anywho, back to blackberry galettes. I wasn’t sure if my friends would like them so I put them out on the table, didn’t say a word about them, and waited for my first taker. Cookies and cupcakes are no-brainers but I wasn’t sure about a fruit dessert. Well, all it took was one person. Word got out and the galettes were gone in minutes. We got a winner! Now I can’t wait to make a peach version. In the meantime, here is how to make Rustic Blackberry Galettes:

…