Individual Apple Tarts

    
                   The up-side to having my blog Passions to Pastry:
1.  I've gotten to know a lot of great people that I now consider my friends... and 2.  I've probably been far more adventurous in my cooking and baking, which is a good thing, right?  But this also brings me to what may be the downside of having this blog.  In my quest to find new recipes for all of you that visit Passions to Pastry each day, I find I'm consumed by "new stuff", and I'm not making my old favorites as often as I did before; and I've been missing a lot of these recipes that I've always considered to be the best!  

     Yesterday I made Individual Apple Tarts that I have made many times in the past and was reminded, if I want caramelized apples within a flaky, butter-filled pastry crust, this is what I need to make.  Warm-from-the-oven with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, there's nothing better.   

Tartelette aux Pommes
recipe via Patricia Wells

      
1 recipe flaky sweet pastry dough (see below)
4 Golden Delicious or Gala apples
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. light brown sugar

1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2.  Divide the dough into four equal portions.  Roll each portion into a six-inch circle.  Place the circles of dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to bake.
3.  Peel and core the apples, then cut each into 12 pieces.  Heat the butter until hot (but not smoking), in a large frying pan.  Add the apples and granulated sugar.  Saute' until lightly browned and starting to caramelize.
4.  Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and spoon the apples into the center of the pastry rounds, dividing them evenly.  It helps if the apples have cooled somewhat before being placed on the pastry rounds.  Fold the edges of dough up over the rim of the apples and pleat, forming about a one-inch border.  Brush the border with the egg.
5.  Bake in the center of the oven until golden, about 20 minutes.  Sprinkle the apples with the brown sugar. 

 PATE BRISEE

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. ice water

1.  Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse to combine.  Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add the water and slowly pulse just until the pastry begins to hold together. Form a disk and wrap in plastic.  Refrigerate for at least an hour. 

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