This week at the Farmer's Market, I picked up some amazing Pink Lady Apples from Rainbow Orchards (a local orchard out of Camino, CA). At $2 a pound, they cost the same as grocery store apples, but I was supporting area farmers directly. Next week I will have to pick up more, since two pounds of apples only lasted me 3 days between snacking, creating a refreshing apple salad for my Pork Tenderloin with Mustard-Apple Gravy, and creating this easy apple tart.
Using store-bought puff pastry, it made a perfect dessert for a weeknight, since it is best made ahead and left to get really cold in the fridge before baking. The apples are simply sliced into rings (no need to even peel them if you don't want to) and placed on the puff pastry without any added sugar. The crumble topping really makes this dessert an instant classic, with the sweetness of brown sugar and the nuttiness of the almonds, plus added goodness from the rolled oats. Only one-quarter cup of brown sugar is added to this recipe, but paired with naturally sweet apples, it is enough to sweeten the whole dessert while letting the apples shine through. Dollop on some freshly whipped cream or top with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice-cream, and get ready to impress!
Apple Tart with Almond-Oatmeal Crumble
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 2 medium apples, cored and sliced into rings
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
For Almond-Oatmeal Crumble
- 1/3 cup rolled old-fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
- Roll the puff pastry into a rectangle approximately 12 inches by 9 inches. Brush with melted butter, then place the apple rings, slightly overlapping.
- For the crumble topping, combine the dry ingredients and almond extract. Drizzle in the butter, and mix to combine. You are looking for a "wet-sand" consistency.
- Evenly top your apple rings with the crumble, then refrigerate for 2-4 hours. You want your puff pastry to get really cold before baking for maximum rise.
- Bake at 350 F for about an hour. Keep your oven door closed (no peeking!) for the first 50 minutes. Puff pastry rises by allowing the water in the butter to turn to steam to let the layers rise, so by opening the oven door you let the steam escape.
- Slice into squares, then top with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Serve while warm or room temperature.
I will be sharing this recipe on Tasty Tuesday at the following sites
This looks delightful Renee! Thanks for linking up with us for Tasty Tuesday! Hope to see you next week!
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