Heirloom apple tart

Stephanie Klassen
Gold Ridge Organic Farms, Sebastopol

Stephanie Klassen created this French-style apple tart recipe for Gold Ridge Organic Farms. It looks particularly appealing when made with a mixture of pink and white fleshed apples. Look for firm, tart heirloom apples that will hold their shape during baking, such as Pink Pearl, Calville Blanc (used in French pastries since the 17th century), Cinnamon Spice or Esopus Spitzenburg.

Ingredients

1 (8-oz.) sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 lb. apples, halved, cored and sliced very thin
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Fine sea salt
1/4 cup apple cider syrup, divided
2 tbsp. butter
1 to 2 tbsp. demerara, turbinado or other large-crystal raw sugar
Vanilla ice cream and apple cider syrup, for serving, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out puff pastry into a 10-inch square. Transfer pastry to prepared baking sheet.

Toss apple slices with sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Using a pastry brush, brush 2 tbsp. apple cider syrup over pastry, leaving a 1/2-inch border on all sides. Shingle apples over pastry, lightly overlapping slices but not going more than two slices deep.

Melt butter with the remaining 2 tbsp. apple cider syrup. Brush butter mixture over apples. Sprinkle tart lightly with demerara sugar. Bake for 30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and apples are tender.

Serve while still warm. If desired, top each piece with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of apple cider syrup.

Serves 8