L'Orangerie's Apple Tarts

By KathieC

Ingredients

• 1 17.25 oz package frozen puff pastry
• 2 medium-sized Golden Delicious apples
• 4 T butter
• 1/4 C sugar

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Up to 4 hours ahead (but not less than 1.5 hours before serving) prepare and partially bake tarts as in steps 1 - 4 below. Let tarts cool on wire rack. Just before serving, heat oven to 500 and move to step 5.

1. Let frozen puff pastry stand at room temperature 20 minutes, to thaw slightly.

2. Preheat oven to 350. Unfold 1 sheet puff pastry on lightly floured surface. With floured rolling pin, roll pastry to a 14" x 10" rectangle. Using a 7" plate as a guide, use a knife to cut out 2 7" rounds of puff pastry. Place rounds in jelly-roll pan. Repeat with second sheet of puff pastry.

3. Cut apples lengthwise in half. Remove cores and peels. Cut apple halves into 1/8" thick slices.

4. Arrange apple slices in slightly overlapping concentric circle on pastry rounds. Dot with butter and sprinklw with sugar. Bake on separate racks 20 to 20 minutes, until pastry is light golden color, switching pans between upper and lower racks 1/2 way through baking time to brown tarts evenly.

5. Increase oven temperature to 500. Bake tarts 5 - 10 minutes longer, until sugar carmelizes slightly and edges of apples brown.