French Apple Tart

My H absolutely loves apple desserts. Pies, handpies, tarts, puffs, turnovers, etc…he loves them all. So as I was searching Annie’s Eats, I came across this recipe and thought I would give it a try. He loves apple pie, not cake, for his bday and this was a perfect change-up. Pair it with some great vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream and you have the perfect apple dessert!

ENJOY!

Ingredients:

1 recipe basic tart dough-With our humidity here right now, I used store-bought. The dough just  wasnt coming together for me at all…UGH

1 heaping tbsp. apricot preserves

4 large or 6 medium apples, firm textured

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided

3 tbsp. sugar, divided

½ tsp. freshly grated lemon zest

½ tsp. cinnamon, divided

confectioners? sugar for sprinkling on top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Roll out tart dough and press into tart pan, trimming the excess off the edges. Using a fork, lightly poke holes in the tart dough. Cover with a layer of aluminum foil and fill with baking beads. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven, remove baking beads and foil, and allow to cool 10 minutes. Spread apricot preserves in a thin layer over bottom of the tart. Allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile, peel 2-3 apples and cut into thin slices. Heat a saucepan or skillet over medium heat and melt 1 tbsp. of butter in the pan. Add 1 tbsp. sugar, ½ tsp. lemon zest and ¼ tsp. cinnamon. Add apple slices to the pan and sauté 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft. Gently mash the apples with a spoon or fork and stir the mixture until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Peel the remaining apples and cut into slices ¼? thick. In a saucepan or skillet, melt 1 tbsp. butter over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp. sugar and ½ tsp. cinnamon. Add apple slices and sauté until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Heat oven to 350°. Spoon the applesauce mixture into the cooled, glazed tart shell. Arrange the apple slices in concentric circles over the applesauce. Cover the edges of the tart with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning of the tart shell. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the apples are nicely browned and soft. Remove from the oven and sprinkle confectioners? sugar over the tart. Broil under a preheated broiler 4 inches from heat until the edges of the apples are golden brown and crisp. Remove tart from broiler, remove foil from edges and serve warm.