This recipe makes one rectangular tart. If you wish to make a fish or other fanciful shape as Chef Alauzen did, all you need is a sharp knife and a good eye to cut the pastry free-form.
Pastry:
1 sheet of puff pastry (Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry is available in frozen food sections of most supermarkets)
Filling:
3 Granny Smith or other cooking apples of your choice, peeled, cored and left whole
1 cup good-quality applesauce
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
To prepare the pastry: Cut a 4-inch-wide section of puff pastry, place on cookie sheet and prick center 3 times with fork.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut apple in half, slice each half into thin slices, take end slices and chop. Spread applesauce over pricked section of pastry, cover with chopped apples and arrange apples over top. Brush with half of melted butter.
Combine sugar, cinnamon and ground cardamom and sprinkle half the mixture over the apples. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Remove the tarts and lower temperature to 325 degrees. Brush tart with remaining butter and sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. Return to oven and bake until the bottom of pastry is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve with ice cream - Alauzen recommends vanilla bean or cinnamon ice cream. Makes 6 servings.
Chef Greg Alauzen with Jane Citron.
Thursday, February 03, 2000
