Easy Apple Tarts

Here on Hilary Stone Soup, I always promised to deliver foolproof, simple recipes that are easy to replicate at home. These apple tarts though are so incredibly easy that it is almost ridiculous. Even Z was impressed with how easy they are!

I saw these apple tarts on Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa cooking show and instantly knew they needed to be part of Apple Week. The tarts feature perfectly cooked and tart apples with a flaky, buttery crust.

This apple tart is reminiscent of a French bakery, but the recipe is simple to make at home. Store-bought puff pastry is a major game changer here. I love having puff pastry in the freezer to whip up some quick appetizers or desserts.

Enjoy!

Easy Apple Tarts

from Ina Garten

Serves 8

1 package (2 sheets) of puff pastry, defrosted

4 large Granny Smith apples

3/4 cup sugar

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes

3/4 cup of apricot jam

3 tablespoons of water, Calvados, or rum

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 4 squares. Divide the pastry between the prepared sheets and refrigerate the sheets while you prepare the apples.

Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stem and cores with a sharp knife and spoon. Slice the apple crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Place the apples diagonally across the pastry (they should be overlapping), and place one slice on each side of the arranged apples.

Sprinkle the tarts apples evenly with sugar and dot them with butter.


Bake for 40 minutes, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown.

When the tarts are done, heat the apricot jam with the water/calvados/rum until it is bubbly. Using a pastry brush, brush each tart with the apricot jam mixture.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Breakfast Baked Apples with Honey and Lemon

I found my new go-to fall brunch dish. These baked apples, flavored with honey and lemon, are light and delicate, yet are substantial when paired with yogurt (and turkey bacon!). 

These baked apples make for a perfect breakfast in bed recipe (cough cough wink wink, Z). They are easy to make while you whip up the rest of your meal. What could be better than cozying into bed on a fall morning with tea, toast, turkey bacon, and a deliciously warm and sweet apple?

I made these apples over the weekend, but you could easily make them at night and store them in the fridge if you wanted them for a weekday breakfast. They would also make a great snack or even dessert!

Enjoy!

Baked Apples with Honey and Lemon

from Cook's Illustrated

Serves 4

4 large apples (Northern Spy, Cortland, or Golden Delicious), with one strip of peel from stem end removed, then rinsed, dried, and cored

1/2 cup honey

1 cup water

4 small lemons, peeling one large strip of zest from each lemon, then juiced

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place apples in a Pyrex dish (I used an 8x8 dish). 

Insert one zest strip inside each apple. Drizzle honey over the apples evenly. Pour lemon juice evenly over apples. Pour water into the pan.

Bake the apples. Every 15 minutes, spoon the water/lemon mixture over the apples. Bake until the apples are tender when cut with a sharp, thin knife. 

Serve with yogurt or creme fraiche. Enjoy!