Rustic French Apple Tart
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Like an apple pie without the pan, this rustic French apple tart features a buttery, flaky crust cradling a thin layer of cinnamon-scented apples.
Picture the quintessential French dessert, and you might envision rows of gleaming macarons and jewel-like fruit tarts within a Parisian pâtisserie. Yet, in the comfort of their own homes, the French cherish simplicity over extravagance. Take this rustic apple tart as the perfect case in point: resembling an apple pie without the pan, it boasts a buttery, flaky crust cradling a layer of cinnamon-spiced apples. Can’t you just imagine it cooling on a windowsill in a sun-drenched kitchen in the French countryside?
“Magnifique! This is a perfect apple galette. The addition of vanilla to the apples is inspired…The crust is simple to make, using a food processor, but produces a pastry that is both buttery and flaky. I’m actually off to make another right now with my remaining apples, since we polished off this first one shortly after it came out of the oven!!”
If the thought of homemade pastry crust seems daunting, let me ease your mind. This dough is a snap to prepare in your food processor and it’s easy to roll out. Plus, the beauty of a free-form tart is that you don’t have to fuss over crimping the dough into a pie plate; you simply fold it irregularly over the fruit. The charm of this dessert lies in its imperfections.
What you’ll need to make a french apple tart
Before we get to the recipe, a word of advice: you might be tempted to load up the tart with extra apples, but less is more with this type of dessert. The apples release quite a bit of juice, which can leak from the tart and make a mess of the crust and your oven.
Also, be sure to use apples suitable for baking, such as Fuji, Granny Smith, Jonagolds, Jonathans, Golden Delicious, Gala, or Honey Crisp. These apples hold their shape when cooked, while non-baking apples turn into applesauce. As you can see, I use two types of apples for this recipe. With any recipe that calls baking apples, like apple muffins, apple crisp or apple cobbler, it’s a good idea to use different varietals for a more nuanced flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the Crust
Begin by making the pastry. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the flour, salt and sugar.
Pulse briefly to combine, then add the pieces of cold butter.
Process just until the butter is the size of peas, about 5 seconds.
Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture and process just until moistened and very crumbly, about 5 seconds.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.
Knead a few times, just until it comes together into a cohesive ball.
Pat the dough into a disk.
Flour your work surface again and dust the dough with flour, as well. Using a rolling pin, roll into a circle 8 to 10 inches in diameter, turning and adding more flour as necessary so the dough doesn’t stick. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate while you prepare the filling (you’ll roll the dough out further on the parchment paper so go ahead and clean your work surface).
Step 2: Prepare the Filling
Peel, core, and cut the apples into 1/8-inch-thick slices (you should have about 4 cups) and place in a large bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, melted butter, and salt.
Toss to combine.
Step 3: Assemble
Take the dough from the fridge and slide the parchment paper onto the countertop. Roll the dough, directly on the parchment paper, into a 14-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. It’s fine if the edges are a little ragged.
Place the parchment and dough back on the baking sheet – the pastry should curve up the lip of the pan.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour evenly over the pastry.
Arrange the apple slices on top in overlapping concentric circles to within 3 inches of the edge. Don’t worry about making it look perfect! It doesn’t make much difference in the end and you don’t want the dough to get too warm.
Fold the edges of the dough over the apples in a free-form fashion, working your way around and creating pleats as you go. Patch up any tears by pinching a bit of dough from the edge.
Using a pastry brush, brush the pleated dough evenly with the beaten egg.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the turbinado sugar over the top crust and 1 tablespoon over the fruit. Then chill the assembled tart in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes while you preheat the oven.
Step 4: Bake
Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the crust is golden and cooked through. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool. While the tart cools, make the optional glaze: mix the apricot jam with 1-1/2 teaspoons water in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave until bubbling, about 20 seconds. Then, using a pastry brush, brush the apples with the apricot syrup.
Use two large spatulas to transfer the tart to a serving plate or cutting board. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature. The tart is best served on the day it is made, but leftovers will keep, loosely covered on the countertop, for a few days.
Video Tutorial
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Rustic French Apple Tart
Like an apple pie without the pan, this rustic French apple tart features a buttery, flaky crust cradling a thin layer of cinnamon-scented apples.
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) very cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
- ¼ cup very cold water
For the Filling
- 1¾ lbs baking apples (3 large) (see note)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
For Assembling & Baking
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
- 1 tablespoon apricot jelly or jam, optional for glaze
Instructions
- Make the crust: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Pulse briefly to combine. Add the cold butter and process just until the butter is the size of peas, about 5 seconds. Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture and process just until moistened and very crumbly, about 5 seconds. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times, just until it comes together into a cohesive ball. Pat the dough into a disk. Flour your work surface again and dust the dough with flour, as well. Using a rolling pin, roll into a circle 8 to 10 inches in diameter, turning and adding more flour as necessary so the dough doesn’t stick. Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate while you prepare the filling (you’ll roll the dough out further on the parchment paper so go ahead and clean your work surface).
- Make the Filling: Peel, core, and cut the apples into ⅛-inch-thick slices (you should have about 4 cups) and place in a large bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, melted butter, and salt; toss to combine.
- Take the dough from the fridge and slide the parchment paper onto the countertop. Roll the dough, directly on the parchment paper, into a 14-inch circle about ⅛ inch thick. It’s fine if the edges are a little ragged. Place the parchment and dough back on the baking sheet – the pastry should curve up the lip of the pan.
- Assemble the tart: Sprinkle the flour evenly over the pastry. Arrange the apple slices on top in overlapping concentric circles to within 3 inches of the edge. Don’t worry about making it look perfect! It doesn’t make much difference in the end and you don’t want the dough to get too warm. Fold the edges of the dough over the apples in a free-form fashion, working your way around and creating pleats as you go. Patch up any tears by pinching a bit of dough from the edge.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the pleated dough evenly with the beaten egg. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the turbinado sugar over the top crust and 1 tablespoon over the fruit. Chill the assembled tart in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the center position.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the crust is golden and cooked through. (It’s okay if some of the juices leak from the tart onto the pan. The juices will burn on the pan but the tart should be fine -- just scrape any burnt bits away from the tart once it’s baked.) Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool.
- While the tart cools, make the optional glaze. In a small bowl, mix the apricot jam with 1½ teaspoons water. Heat in the microwave until bubbling, about 20 seconds. Using a pastry brush, brush the apples with the apricot syrup.
- Use two large spatulas to transfer the tart to a serving plate or cutting board. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature. The tart is best served on the day it is made, but leftovers will keep, loosely covered on the countertop, for a few days.
- Note: Be sure to use baking apples that hold their shape when cooked, such as Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Fuji, Granny Smith, or Golden Delicious. And use a mix of different varietals for the best flavor.
- Make Ahead: The dough can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated. Allow it to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes or until pliable before rolling.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The assembled tart may be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, place the baking sheet in the freezer until the tart is frozen, then wrap tightly. (Wait until right before baking the tart to brush the beaten egg and sprinkle the sugar onto the crust.) Bake directly from the freezer. (It may take a few extra minutes to bake from frozen.)
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 392
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 49 g
- Sugar: 26 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Sodium: 195 mg
- Cholesterol: 73 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jenn- loved this with apples!! Wondering if I could sub peaches for apples? Thanks!!
Yes, Ash, I think peaches would work nicely here. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Perfection
I just found your recipe and loved your reviews. Will definitely be making this with all the lovely apples I have. Glad to read you did not use it puff pastry or pie shell yours was homemade!
Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
The crust is the best ever! Great, easy recipe!
Is there anyway I can make this dough without a food processor? I don’t have any appliances that would be able to have the same effect.
Hi Lisa, You can definitely make the crust by hand – just cut the butter in with two knives or rub it in with your fingers, then stir in the water. It will work fine. Hope you enjoy!
I made this tart today as written. It does take a lot of time (more than 2 hours start to finish)and creates a bit of a mess with flour on surfaces. It also makes a ton of dishes. The tart turned out perfectly and looked beautiful though. It is very small; it fit on a 10″ dinner plate. I liked the taste a lot; it reminded me of Taco Bell’s caramel empanada. My nephew (age 20) liked that it wasn’t extremely sweet. My husband and his bro didnt take any seconds so I guess it had mixed appeal. But no problem I’ll eat the leftovers.
Made this for desert last night. My wife and I had a serving each then went back and finished it.
Just printing the recipe to make it again tonight.
It was delicious.
🙂 So glad you enjoyed it!
This is my new favorite apple dessert! I’m not really a fan of apple pies or apple crisps, so when I came across this recipe, I thought it would taste like one of aforementioned desserts. But the words “Rustic French” had me curious so I decided to give it a try. Boy am I glad I did!! This is awesome!! I forgot to add the flour to the dough before arranging the apple slices, but it still turned out awesome!! I like this so much that I decided to buy the cookbook and try all the recipes. I’m making the baked ziti next! Thanks Jen!
I loved this recipe! Way less time consuming than your apple pie, but still amazing. It was great to be able to prepare it in advance of my guests arriving, and it was so good with some vanilla ice cream.
I was hoping to prepare a similar rustic tart appropriate for the summer season. Do you have any suggestions to make this with berries, Jenn?
Glad you liked this! I think some other fruits would work here, but I’d actually avoid berries as they release so much juice (and because some berries, like blueberries, are more tart, you’d need to add more sugar which may create even more juice). Peaches should work nicely with no changes. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn! I am hoping to make this french tart with cherries this weekend since they are in abundance right now. It will be for a party on sunday. Do you recommend changing the recipe in any way to accommodate for cherries? Or follow as is subbing in the different fruit?
I love your blog and recipes. They are spectacular! I appreciate your feedback on my question.
Hi Kelli, Glad you enjoy the recipes! I haven’t made this with anything but apples. I’d like to say it would turn out well, but fruit can a bit unpredictable in that different fruits produce different amounts of juice. I might suggest mixing the cherries with something else seasonal like peaches. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!