Classic French Apple Tart (An Easy Pâtisserie Recipe!)

Are you ready to create a truly magnificent, show-stopping dessert that looks like it came from the window of a fine Parisian pâtisserie? A tart so stunningly beautiful, so impossibly flaky, and so packed with pure, caramelized apple flavor, it will be the star of any occasion? This incredible, from-scratch Classic French Apple Tart is that perfect recipe. We’re talking a shatteringly crisp and buttery pastry, topped with a beautiful, intricate mosaic of thinly sliced tart apples, all finished with a luscious, glossy apricot glaze.

This isn’t just another apple recipe; it’s your definitive guide to mastering a legendary French classic. While it looks like a work of art, we’ll show you the simple but crucial professional secrets to a flawless, all-butter crust and a beautifully arranged apple topping that is secretly simple to achieve. This is a satisfying, soulful, and deeply impressive dessert that is perfect for your Thanksgiving table or any elegant dinner party.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Recipe Overview: The Ultimate “Pâtisserie-Quality” Holiday Dessert

What makes this French Apple Tart so spectacularly delicious is its incredible simplicity and its focus on pure, high-quality ingredients. This recipe is a masterpiece of classic French baking. The foundation is a classic, from-scratch all-butter pie crust (pâte brisée), which bakes up unbelievably flaky and tender. The real artistry is in the topping: thin slices of tart Granny Smith apples are beautifully fanned out in an overlapping, diagonal pattern over the entire surface of the pastry. A simple sprinkle of sugar and dots of butter are all it needs before baking, allowing the apples to soften and caramelize in the oven. The final, professional touch is a simple apricot and Calvados glaze, which gives the finished tart a magnificent, glossy shine and an extra layer of fruity flavor.

Metric	Time / Level
Total Time	3 hours (includes chilling & cooling)
Active Prep Time	45 minutes
Difficulty Level	Intermediate
Servings	8-10

The French Pâtisserie: The Essential Ingredients

This iconic dish uses a handful of high-quality, classic ingredients to create its signature rich and comforting flavor.

• The All-Butter Crust (Pâte Brisée):
  • Cold Unsalted Butter & Ice Water: The number one, non-negotiable secret to a wonderfully flaky crust is to use very cold, cubed, unsalted butter and ice-cold water.
• The Apples:
  • Granny Smith Apples: For the best, most flavorful tart that holds its shape and doesn’t turn to mush, it is essential to use a firm, tart baking apple like a Granny Smith.¹ Their bright, acidic flavor is the perfect counterpoint to the sweet sugar and rich pastry.
• The Apricot Glaze:
  • Apricot Jelly & Calvados: This is the brilliant secret that elevates the entire dish from homemade to heavenly! A simple glaze of warmed apricot jelly provides a beautiful, professional-looking shine. A splash of Calvados (apple brandy) adds a wonderful, warm, and sophisticated flavor note that perfectly complements the apples.

The Baker’s Masterclass: The Secrets to a Perfect Tart

This recipe uses two simple but brilliant professional techniques that guarantee a flawless, impressive result.

1. The Flaky Crust Secret: Keep it COLD!: The key to a perfect, flaky crust is to keep your ingredients as cold as possible. This is why the recipe has you use cold butter and ice water, and then chill the dough. The little, pea-sized pockets of cold butter are the key that creates steam in the oven, which results in those beautiful, flaky layers. Using a food processor is the modern secret to achieving this quickly without melting the butter with your hands.
2. The Artful Arrangement: The secret to the stunning, “bakery-window” look is the simple but beautiful arrangement of the apple slices. By peeling, coring, and slicing the apples very thinly and uniformly, and then arranging them in tightly overlapping, diagonal rows, you create a beautiful, textured mosaic that is far easier to achieve than it looks.

Step-by-Step to the Best French Apple Tart

This elegant, festive dessert is a joy to prepare.

Part 1: The Art of the Flaky All-Butter Crust

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together your 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Add your 12 tablespoons of cold, diced butter to the bowl. Pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of small peas.

With the machine running, pour your 1/2 cup of ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough begins to come together.

Dump the dough out onto a floured board and gently form it into a ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it until it is thoroughly chilled, for at least 1 hour.

Part 2: The Perfect Apple Topping and Assembly

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400°F ($200^{\circ}C$). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Step 2: On a lightly floured surface, roll out your chilled dough into a rectangle that is slightly larger than 10×14 inches. Use a ruler and a small knife to trim the edges to a neat rectangle. Place the dough on your prepared sheet pan and refrigerate it while you prepare the apples.

Step 3: Peel, core, and cut your 4 Granny Smith apples in half. Slice the apples crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices.

Step 4 (The Fun Part!): Arrange the overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of your chilled tart dough. Continue making diagonal rows on both sides until the pastry is completely covered with the beautiful apple slices.

Step 5: Sprinkle the top of the apples evenly with your 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the 4 tablespoons of cold, small-diced butter.

Part 3: The Bake and the Final Glossy Glaze

Step 1: Bake the tart for 45 minutes to 1 hour. You will know it is perfectly done when the pastry is a deep golden brown and the edges of the apples have started to caramelize.

Step 2: While the tart is baking, in a small saucepan, gently heat your 1/2 cup of apricot jelly with the 2 tablespoons of Calvados until it is warm and liquid.

Step 3 (The Best Part!): As soon as the tart comes out of the oven, use a pastry brush to generously brush the hot apricot glaze all over the apples and the pastry.

Step 4: Use a metal spatula to loosen the tart from the parchment paper to prevent it from sticking as it cools. Allow the tart to cool on the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

• Make-Ahead: This is the perfect make-ahead holiday dessert! You can prepare the pie dough up to 3 days in advance and store it, well-wrapped, in the refrigerator. You can also fully assemble the entire, unbaked tart and freeze it for up to 3 months.
• Storage: Store the finished, baked tart, loosely covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days.

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Frequently Asked questions (FAQs)