Tarte Fine Aux Pommes is an easy French apple tart that's as elegant as it is delicious. With only 5 ingredients and made in under 10 minutes- it's the perfect chic dessert to serve family and friends.
France is extremely well known for its exquisite fruit tarts, especially its Apple Tart. There are two variations: one is made with a sweet short-crust pastry, apple purée and sliced apples and takes a little longer to produce due to the type of pastry used.
The other is this quick version that uses a buttery, crackly puff pastry base layer, topped with thin apple slices, a brush of butter and a sprinkle of sugar. Baked to caramelised perfection, this simple apple tart recipe is a study of absolute minimalist perfection where less is definitely more.
If you love French Tarts as much as I do, then check out my Tarte aux Fraises, Caramel Apple Tart, Pear Frangipane Tart (Tarte Bourdaloue), and Strawberry Sablé Breton Tart. They all feature incredible pastry and beautiful fruits and are fit for the bakery windows in France.
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The French 'Tarte Fine' literally translates to 'thin tart '. It perfectly describes this wafer-thin tart that isn't baked in a tart pan, doesn't have edges circling the apples and is made up of two layers.
🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Uses basic ingredients. 5 ingredients- that's it! It's utterly brilliant that you can make something so refined with such few ingredients.
- Quick to make. I suggest using store-bought pastry - they're perfect for a dessert like this. It takes just ten minutes to make this tart.
- Simple to make. I've provided step-by-step photos for you to follow the simple process of constructing this tart. You'll love it's simplicity.
- Incredibly elegant. With its caramelised edges and the beautifully golden layered apple slices, this apple puff pastry is so impressive. Wow your guests with minimal effort - the best type of entertaining!
🧾 Ingredients Needed
As mentioned, there's only a handful of ingredients to this Classic French Tarte aux Pommes puff pastry recipe- but I've made a few notes below that are worth reading.
- Puff Pastry - I recommend using a good quality store-bought all-butter puff pastry sheet for ease. That being said, if you fancy making your own, then go for it!
- Butter - The butter, when teamed with sugar, helps the apples to caramelise.
- Sugar - I've used granulated sugar but you can substitute for caster, light brown or brown sugar.
- Preserve - The baked apple tart using puff pastry is brushed in preserve when removed from the oven. This popular bakery technique, known in France as 'abricoter', protects the fruit from turning brown or drying out. I recommend a light-coloured fruit preserve such as marmalade, apricot preserve or apple jelly. A dark strawberry jam or cranberry jelly, for example, would look too dark against the apples.
What Type of Apples to Use?
My advice is to use crisp, full flavoured apples such as Granny Smith's, Honey Crisp or Pink Lady Apples.
They can't be too soft and mild flavoured as you'll find the apple slices will turn to mush, and you won't get a strong enough apple flavour.
📖 Variations
In all honesty, I would stay to the French version of making this tart. They stay very true to the flavour of the fruits without adding spices that commonly go with apples.
However, if you did want to veer away from the traditional, here are a couple of options:
- Add a thin layer of apple puree between the puff pastry and apples.
- Sprinkle cinnamon over the top of the apples before baking.
- Once baked, sprinkle with a pinch of fleur de see.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Tarte Fine aux Pommes
You'll find step-by-step instructions and process photos below. The method to making this classic apple puff pastry tart is definitely simple but I share some tips along the way.
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
STEP 1: Preheat the oven. Before starting to make this incredible tart, pre-heat the oven to 180C. Place a baking tray into the oven on the middle shelf.
TIP: Putting the tray into the oven whilst it's pre-heating will make it piping hot by the time the tart is ready to be baked. Putting the cold puff pastry onto a hot baking tray will help get a super crispy base. Just like making pizza!
STEP 2. Cut the puff pastry disc. unroll the puff pastry onto a sheet of parchment paper. Using an inverted plate, pie dish or base from a tart pan, cut around the plate with a sharp knife to form a circle (Image 1). I used a 25cm/10 inch tart pan base.
Dock the base with the tines of a fork to prevent the pastry from puffing up in the oven.
TIP: Work with cold puff pastry dough. Once the pastry is cut and docked, if your environment is warm/hot, then refrigerate the pastry on a tray until needed.
STEP 3. Slice Apples. Some recipes call to peel the apples. I rather like the skin on, but if you'd prefer, then feel free to peel them.
For the tart in today's photos, I've used a mandoline to slice the apples. I just cut the base off and used the mandoline to slice whole apples (Images 3 & 4). Just remove any pips that you see. Also, there's no need to core them as they're cut so thinly.
However, you can use a knife to cut the apple circles. If this proves a bit tricky, then halve the apples, core them and then thinly slice them.
TIP: You'll want to work relatively quickly slicing the apples as they will start to turn brown the longer they oxidise.
STEP 4. Lay apple slices on the puff pastry. Lay the apples overlapping in a concentric circle around the edge and then add another ring of apples in the centre (Images 5, 6 and 7).
STEP 5. Prep the apples and Bake. Brush half the apples with half the butter (Image 8). Then, sprinkle half the sugar over the apple slices (Image 9).
Remove the baking tray from the oven, and using the parchment paper, lift the tart with the paper onto the tray. Be careful- the tray will be piping hot. Then bake for 15 minutes.
STEP 6. Add remaining butter and sugar, then finish bake time. After the initial 15 minutes of baking, remove the tray from the oven, gently brush the remaining butter over the apples and sprinkle the leftover sugar. During recipe testing, I found that doing this phased approach achieved beautifully soft apples with crisp edges (Image 10).
Return the tray to the oven and continue to bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack for ten minutes.
STEP 7: Glaze the apples. Add a teaspoon of boiling water to your preserve; I've used marmalade preserve here, and stir until it's loosened up. Brush the preserve over the apples (Images 12 & 13).
TIP: Don't worry about the blackened bits around the rim of the tart. That's where the butter and sugar have melted and run off the apples and caramelized.
🥣 How To Serve
This stunning Tart Fine au Pommes is best served warm or cooled to room temperature. Like with all puff pastry desserts, it's best eaten on the same day as it retains its crisp pastry.
Traditionally, this thin apple tart is served on its own, but I know it would taste amazing with a dollop of crème chantilly, a scoop of mascarpone ice cream, or a drizzle of caramel sauce.
💭 Recipe Pro Tips
- Ensure your puff pastry is cold. If you bake it at room temperature, you'll be left with soggy pastry.
- Cut the apples thinly. This ensures they bake through at an even rate.
- Don't soak in butter. Brush the apples with melted butter sparingly. If you don't need it all, don't use it. You don't want puddles of butter running off.
- Need more caramelisation? If the top isn't caramelised enough for your liking, then add a little brown sugar and place under a grill for a couple of minutes.
📋 Recipe FAQs
This tart is best eaten on the day it's made. It can, however, be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Re-heat in the oven at 180C/350F to re-crisp the pastry.
Yes, it can. Once baked, let the tart cool completely before wrapping it in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to two months. Thaw at room temperature. You must bake it for ten minutes or so to re-crispen the puff pastry.
🍏 More Apple Recipes
If you tried this Tarte Fine aux Pommes or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Easy French Apple Tart (Tarte Fine Aux Pommes)
Ingredients
- 1 All butter Puff Pastry Sheet
- 4 Apples, eg. Granny Smith's
- 15 g unsalted butter- melted
- 15 g granulated sugar, or light brown/brown sugar
- 15 g preserve, apricot or marmalade
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 180°/350℉. Place a baking tray into the oven on the middle shelf.
- Cut the puff pastry disc. Unroll the puff pastry onto a sheet of parchment paper. Using an inverted plate, pie dish or base from a tart pan measuring approximately 25cm/10 inches in diameter, cut around the plate with a sharp knife to form a circle.Dock the base with the tines of a fork to prevent the pastry from puffing up in the oven.
- Slice Apples. Peel and core the apples if you'd like (personal preference). Option to use a mandoline or sharp knife to cut the apples into thin slices.If using a mandoline: Cut the base off the bottom of the apples. Slice apple circles with a mandoline. Just remove any pips that you see. If using a knife and cutting the apples whole proves tricky, then cut in half to slice.
- Lay apple slices on the puff pastry. Lay the apples overlapping in a concentric circle around the edge and then add another ring of apples in the centre.
- Prep the apples and bake. Brush half the apples with half the butter. Then, sprinkle half the sugar over the apple slices.Remove the baking tray from the oven, and using the parchment paper, carefully lift the tart onto the tray. Be careful- the tray will be piping hot. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Add remaining butter & sugar, then finish bake time. After the initial 15 minutes of baking, remove the tray from the oven, gently brush the remaining butter over the apples and sprinkle the leftover sugar.Return the tray to the oven and continue to bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack for ten minutes.
- Glaze the apples. Add a teaspoon of boiling water to your preserve and stir until it's loosened up. Brush the preserve over the apples. Enjoy the tart warm or cooled to room temperature.
All recipes are developed and tested in Metric grams. I strongly recommend that you bake using digital scales for a more accurate result. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
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