By Yossy Arefi
- Total Time
- 2½ to 3 hours, plus cooling
- Rating
- 5(1,443)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This striking tart is all about the apples, and — believe it or not — it’s fairly simple to make. The crust is the pat-in-the-pan variety, and a mandoline makes quick work of slicing. For the most beautiful results, use firm tart apples with red or pink skin like Honeycrisp, Empire or Cortland, and stand the slices up vertically, rather than laying them flat. This tart is best the day it's made, but the shell can be made a day in advance, if you’d like to break up the work a bit. If you keep vanilla sugar in your pantry, this would be a great place for it. A sprinkle of cardamom wouldn’t hurt either. However you choose to embellish, make sure to use a smooth apricot jam, rather than chunky preserves, for a smooth finish.
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Ingredients
Yield:8 to 10 servings
- 1½cups/190 grams all-purpose flour
- ½cup/65 grams confectioners’ sugar
- ¾teaspoon kosher salt
- 10tablespoons/140 grams cold unsalted butter (1¼ sticks), cut into ½-inch pieces, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1egg yolk
- ½teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2tablespoons cold water, as needed
- 3medium crisp, tart apples like Honeycrisp, Empire or Cortland (about 1 pound)
- ¼cup/50 grams sugar
- 1tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
- Large pinch of kosher salt
- 3tablespoons smooth apricot jam
For the Tart
For the Filling
For the Glaze
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
291 calories; 16 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 18 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 162 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Make the crust: Combine the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the butter pieces on top, and pulse until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, and pulse until incorporated. Pulse in the water, about 2 teaspoons at a time, until the dough starts to hold together. It will appear to be a bit crumbly, but should hold together easily when pressed.
Step
2
Lightly butter a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, and pour the dough mixture into it. Press the mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. (Use a lightly floured straight-sided measuring cup to help press the dough into the corners of the pan.) Reserve extra dough to repair any cracks after the shell is baked.
Step
3
Freeze the formed dough in the pan until completely firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees.
Step
4
Line the tart shell with a piece of aluminum foil, making sure to tuck it into the corners and over the edges. Bake the shell for 20 to 25 minutes or until the dough appears dry and lightly golden. If the dough puffs up while baking, gently press it back into the pan with an offset spatula or similar tool. If necessary, repair any cracks with the remaining raw dough. Cool slightly while you prepare the apples.
Step
5
Cut the apples from their cores in 3 pieces: Stand the apples up, with the stems facing up, and, using a sharp knife, cut 1 face of the apple, then rotate the apple about 120 degrees, slice again, and finally slice the last piece from the core. You should have a triangle-shaped piece of core left and 3 pieces of apple with flat bottoms.
Step
6
Reserve a smaller piece of apple, and carefully slice all the other apples into very thin half-moons, about ⅛-inch thick. (A mandoline makes this move quickly, but, if you are using a knife and working slowly, it’s a good idea to squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over the sliced apples to prevent browning.) Make sure to keep the slices together as you cut to make the assembly easier.
Step
7
Once the apples are sliced, build the tart: Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon sugar on the bottom of the blind-baked tart shell. Starting at the outer edge, arrange the apples in tight concentric circles, overlapping each slice about halfway over its neighbor. Take care to stand the apples up vertically, with the cut edges down and the peel edge pointing up. Pack the rows very tightly, stopping periodically to check your work.
Step
8
As you move toward the center, the apples will become trickier to bend into place. If you find the slices are breaking, slice the reserved piece of apple even thinner to make it easier to bend. Roll the last few slices into a circle and tuck it in the center.
Step
9
Sprinkle the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and a pinch of salt over the apple slices. Take care to sprinkle the sugar between the apple slices, rather than on top. Scatter the butter pieces on top, and bake the tart for 40 to 45 minutes or until the apples begin to brown just slightly on the edges and the crust is a deep golden brown. Check the tart periodically to make sure the shell is not over-browning at the edges. If it is, cover the edges with foil.
Step
10
Cool the tart on a rack for about 10 minutes, then prepare the glaze: In a small saucepan, warm the jam and a few drops of water over medium-low heat until it is runny. Use a pastry brush to very gently brush the warm tart with jam. Avoid brushing jam on the crust, but a thin layer all over the apple slices. Serve warm or room temperature.
Ratings
5
out of 5
1,443
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Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
J. David Nelson
This is a recipe that can use a video to help understand how to cut the apple. I know I did not get it right.
Juker
My second try. Much better. What did I change? I used a larger tart pan, 26 cm. I used pink lady apples that look nicer. After baking the crust, I mixed 100 g ground almonds with 50 g confectionary sugar and 2 level tea spoons of cinnamon and spread that on the crust before adding the apples.To form the round core of apples, I popped the last slices with some lemon water into the microwave foe 30 seconds. They bent without breaking. It looked very nice and tasted much better than my first try.
Cliff
STEP 5 - Think about cutting a clock. Looking down at the apple, stem up. You want to slice at 12 o'clock, 4 o'clock, and 8 o'clock.
Tim Scott
I'm having trouble understanding how the apples are sliced in Step 5; if anyone can translate, I'd be interested. Barring any insight, I think I will just halve my apples (cutting from the top down through the core), then place the cut sides down, making half moon slices working from the bottom to the top, cutting out any core with a cookie cutter. I think I'll also microwave the slices briefly (30 seconds?) to make them a bit flexible, so they don't break.
The Inept Chef
A note for all other removable-bottom-pan newbies out there: Make sure you put the pan on a cookie sheet so you can get it out of the oven easily. I ended up wearing a scorching hot metal bracelet when the bottom fell out and onto my kitchen floor. Undeterred but annoyed, I tried again using a cookie sheet underneath. Big success! Delicious. Impressive. Easy. My (socially distant and outdoor) guests were quite impressed. This is guest intimidation at its finest.
Olli
Check the vid, folks!https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1583926199050702848?s=46&t=wU5wISo1sw4dce_eSX57rg
Michael R.
So, I think the idea is that you're trying to leave behind a triangular core, with the meat of the apple in 3 relatively large pieces.
jenjen
There is a video on how to prep this tart on the NYT’s Instagram account.
Sue (from France)
Beautiful and delicious. Next time I would buy apples with a more intense red or pink color. I used an 11-inch tart pan which was perfect. Started by cutting the apples with a knife but they were breaking so I switched to a mandoline. Cut apples in 3 wedges as per recipe, lay flat, cut one end off each wedge to create a half-moon flat side which went through the mandoline. Then it was easy and fun, but it took a while (but there was no peeling!).
Schnu
Much easier than you’d think. But here’s what I did differently. I sliced then macerated the apples in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon. This made them pliable so assembly was easy. I’m planning on serving with vanilla ice cream, though a caramel sauce or custard sauce might be tasty too.
KB
Most eaten (and prettiest!) of the 3 I brought to Thanksgiving. Better on the 2nd try by (1) using only 75% of the dough, otherwise too thick for a 9-9.5" to bake enough; (2) greasing only the side piece and not the bottom of the pan, plenty of butter in the dough to not stick, on my first try the bottom was greasy/slippery; (3) slicing the middle pieces paper thin (sharp knife!), they will loop; (4) more than 3 apples needed, around 4-5; and (5) not skimping on that blind bake, bake it! Lovely.
Brian
“Take care to sprinkle the sugar between the apple slices, rather than on top.“Could someone explain this? How could one not end uo with the sugar on top my just sprinkling. Where else could it go? Or would they really have me assemble the rose and then pull the layers apart and meticulously sprinkle sugar in between the slices?
jonesy
I wanted to try this for my immediate family prior to making it to take to a Thanksgiving dinner. It was a huge hit! Recipe is definitely a keeper. I made it 2x - once exactly as written. The second time I added a cinnamon to the sugar. I’m not sure which I liked better. Both were delish.
CJ
Hmmmmm. Easier said than done building that rose.
mandy
added ~1/2 tsp cinnamon to crust and sprinkled more on top with the sugar, was delicious!
Totoro
This is absolutely delicious. Our go to “birthday cake”.
Sharon
This video makes a similar tart and takes you through every technical step in forming it into a rose.https://youtu.be/gEnQi3FrSJU?si=ojj4Z7Ey26nWhceZ
Sharon
This quick YouTube video shows how to create the rose effect without the issue of splitting. https://youtu.be/SaTzPyinV7Y?si=OkW0euGb8ILj1oZT
lynne L
Brilliant method to cut the apples so you get even half moons. A mandoline makes this easy and fun. Not too sweet and a show stopper, will make again.
Grace
First review I've submitted though I've cooked a lot from NYT recipes. Wow, so easy and so impressive! This both looked impressive and tasted amazing. I am not a great baker and it took time to follow all the steps, but they were easy and doable.
S. Coats
Stunning dessert with minimal effort
Cutting advice
Imagine a clock face: with the core perpendicular to the cutting board you'll chop the apple from 12 to 4, another from 4 to 8 and the final one from 8 to noon. Microwave a couple pieces to make the center rose. This will make the slices more pliable without breaking.
LK
Mashed up this recipe and a Great British Show recipe for a Tarte aux Pomme (included apple puree and frangipane atop the base before adding the sliced apples). Found the crust too sweet, would cut back on the sugar if I made it again. I also underbaked slightly on the blind bake, should have gone to 25 min.Sliced apples with a mandoline and macerated in sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice. They were very pliable by the time I constructed the rose. Check the edges when baking.A big hit!
erin b
Looks beautiful but taste could be improved. Next time: less sugar in the crust; something citrus to cut the sweet apple glaze combo.
Dev
Stunning!I have made this at least a dozen times over the past year and it always wow's.It is a beautiful and very unfussy pastry (albeit I do it in the stand mixer) and the apples look fantastic as a rose. I do a little less sugar and less apricot (albeit don't miss the apricot jam, it really makes it -- I've tried both).It's my go-to, It makes me look like I know what I am doing when actually it's very easy to do and I love placing the apples, it is very zen :)
CGil
Delicious and impressive looking but easy to make! Tart crust is a little sweeter than your average and super tasty. Spread the dough thin on the bottom of the pan. Mine took a bit longer to blind bake than instructed… Mandoline is essential.
S
Delicious - will definitely make again! I subbed brown sugar and cinnamon on the base layer over the crust since I love the taste. All else made exactly as described and it was a hit.
Laurie
Hummmmm…just go for it!Went with almond paste/marzipan under apples. Big trick…use your pastry brush to clean off excess sugar and flick it between apples, per directions (preventing darkening/caramelizing on pretty apple skins). Less putzy to clean off the sugar rather than trying to control the sugar. Pink Lady apples held their shape and were lovely.
Purl Onions
Found it impractical (as in nearly impossible) to sprinkle sugar between the tightly packed apple slices. In the future I would coat the apple slices with the sugar before assembling them in the tart.
Tess
Can you make the crust a day ahead?
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