TWD - Parisian Apple Tartlets

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe is Parisian Apple Tartlets, chosen by Jessica of My Baking Heart. I think it's the simplest dessert I've ever baked; all you do is cut a round of puff pastry, top it with sliced fruit, brown sugar, and butter, then bake for about 25 minutes. Even someone who's never baked in their life can make this with ease (and look like you've been baking for years!).

The hardest part in making this wee little pie is finding the puff pastry. You can make your own, but Jesus, even I have a limit. Dorie recommends using all-butter puff pastry, rather than the kinds that use all shortening, for obvious reasons: taste! I know some of my fellow bloggers paid as much as $10 for their all-butter pastry; I bought President's Choice pastry at the Superstore for $3.29. God love ya, Superstore....you really are worth switching stores.

SO. Anyway. Cut 4 inch rounds out of the pastry, and fill it with your toppings. I got 2 rounds and 2 rectangles; I've never worked with puff pastry before, and wasn't sure if you're supposed to roll it out and such, so I just cut rectangles out of the remainder.

Also, I'm lazy. I should make a hotkey for that sentence.


See how easy that is? I made one peach for myself, because I hate mushy apples. Sacrilidge, perhaps. But it's my damn blog. The round apple tartlet is done to Dorie's specifications; the others have cinnamon and nutmeg added.


And here is my tartlet. God I love baked peaches. Even so, I'm not sure if I would make this again, but that's mainly because I don't care much for pies. My parents loved the apple ones, though - hence no pictures. They gobbled them up before I could snap a shot. They're like that. I tried to explain that I needed pics for my blog, but after "what's a blog??" I just gave up.

Things I learned:

1) Be careful when you add the butter; make sure it's in the centre of the fruit, or it might run under the tart as it melts and cause the bottom to burn. Burnt cheese is great; burnt butter? Not so much.

2) I quartered the apple half the way I thought it looked in Dorie's book, but I found that one took the longest to bake by far. I'd recommend you cut your fruit in 1 inch chunks so they cook quicker (and that way, the pastry won't overbake, either). Not as pretty, but it's effective.

3) Adding a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg really amps up the flavour; Mom liked this combo best. She said tasted more strongly of apples, so if you want a pure apple flavour leave out the spices.

And the last thing I learned? Well, any pie/tartlet/cake/spoon/bare fingers/etc. is ALWAYS better with real whipped cream.


Next week's TWD: Coconut Pineapple Daquoise. No, I have no idea what that is either...tune in and see! And I'll have real food again soon, I promise.