Classic apple tart

Steps

• 1. There are many ingredients and operations as well. But if you prepare everything well and understand the principle – the cooking will not take more than 30-40 minutes. Time for baking is about half an hour.
• 2. The principle of cooking a French apple tart is simple – you need to prepare three layers (or rather four) and connect them together. So, let’s begin.
  
• 3. First layer is dough. Make a classic shortcake dough. Sieve flour, add frozen butter but rub it on a coarse grater. Mix well before crumbing. Keep an eye on butter to not let it melt, you need to do everything fast.
  
• 4. Strew sugar, yolks and vanilla extract. Mix it all again. It should be a smooth and pretty elastic dough.
  
• 5. Roll a dough into a ball, wrap it up and put into the fridge for about 30-40 minutes.
  
• 6. Meanwhile prepare a second layer – it is compote (mixture of fruits, decoction). Actually, we need an apple sauce. Peel a vanilla stick, collect seeds with a knife and put into a saucepan. Then add sugar (2 tablespoons).
  
• 7. Afterwards, it is time for «Golden Delicious» apple sort as they are soft and pretty juicy. It is easy, all you have to do is to clear of kernel and peel. Then cut it for small cubes of 0,5 sm.
  
• 8. Put apples in a saucepan, add cinnamon and water. Put on a medium fire and languish under a cover for 30 minutes. Apples should be soft and a bit transparent.
  
• 9. While cooking, add a lemon zest but cut it for very small pieces.
  
• 10. We need to get rid of almost all moisture otherwise the dough will just become wet.
  
• 11. Leave compote to cool down. Now cook apples for an upper layer. Use a «Granny Smith» apple sort. Peel them and cut for thin slices for 1-2 mm, sprinkle with a lemon juice so that apples will not darken.
  
• 12. While preparing apples, the dough has risen. The easiest way is to roll it between two sheets of parchment. The thickness is 0,5 cm and diameter is 5-6 cm bigger than a mold’s one.
  
• 13. Put dough in a mold and level on the sides carefully. Cut off surplus. Puncture it with a folk to not let the dough swell. Put a sheet of paper at the bottom under the dough so that tart can be easily taken out. If you are interested, I will show you how to cut it for a mold diameter.
  
• 14. From above lay an even layer of compote out.
  
• 15. Now lay thin apple slices out any different ways, up to your fantasy. Apple petals must cover each other.
  
• 16. Top with sugar and put into a heated microwave oven (200 degrees) for 30 minutes. Now keep an eye because you will need to take it out right at the moment when sides are browned a little bit and apples have started baking.
  
• 17. Grease a prepared tart with an apricot glaze. It is easy to cook it – take apricot jam and water in proportion 2:1. Boil and grease the mixture with a tassel. Tart should be a bit glossy. It will protect apples of drying and tart will get more amber tint.
  
• 18. When tart is cooled down, take it out from mold and serve on the table. Compote will turn into a thick, homogeneous filling with a cinnamon taste. The dough will become crumbly and fragrant, and the top layer of apples in the glaze will be a bit sour.
  
• 19. Definitely, from first sight it always seems to you to be very difficult but believe me everything will be faster than you think. The taste deserves that, obviously! Everyone who has ever tried an apple tart said it was the most delicious «cake», juicy and fragrant enough! And if you are a true apple lover – that is your new love.