Thin Apple Tart

This recipe is for a quick & easy apple tart. It can also be made with fresh figs.

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for apply pie:
1 round sheet of puff pastry (F: pâte feuilletée)
A standard sheet weighs 230 grams (≈ ½ lb), has a diameter of about 32 cm (≈ 13"), and is rolled up with oven paper on both sides
We have made this recipe several times with "light" puff pastry sheets, and the result is just as tasty.
2 large sweet, tart apples
The apples must remain firm when baked. The Pink Lady variety is excellent.
50 grams cold butter (≈ 2 oz)
2 tablespoons brown sugar brown or dark brow sugar (5-10% molasses)
In France, use "sucre complet" or "sucre intégral"; second choice: "cassonade" ( = sucre roux de canne); note: "sucre vergeoise" is just beet sugar ( = sucre de betterave) that has been sprayed/coated with caramel coloring!
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Ingredients for fig pie:
Same as above for apple pie, but use 900 grams (2 lbs) of sweet, ripe figs - cleaned, stems removed, quartered. When not in season, I use bags of frozen quartered figs from our local "frozen food" supermarket.

EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES

PREPARATION / DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to 210 °C (410 °F)
Unroll the sheet of puff pastry dough onto the pizza pan.
Do not remove the oven paper underneath the dough!
Do not stretch the dough with a rolling pin
Remove the oven paper from the top of the dough
Trim off the excess oven paper with a knife or scissors
With a fork, prick holes in the entire sheet of dough. See photo below. This will prevent the dough from rising.

The puff pastry sheet (with paper) rolled out on the pizza pan, and pricked with a fork

Peel the apples, quarter them and remove the core
Cut the quartered apples into thin slices (2-3 mm, less than 1/8 inch)
Drape the apple slices on top of the dough, each slice partially covering the previous slice. See photo below.
Sprinkle the brown sugar over the apple slices. See photo below.
Cut the butter into small pieces and spread over the apple slices. See fig tart photo farther below.
Bake the tart in the center of the oven for about 25 minutes. The apples must turn golden.
Sprinkle the powered sugar over the apple slices.
Put the oven on "grill" (top heating elements), and slide the tart under the grill burner until the powered sugar has caramelized.
Do not walk away - once it starts to caramelize, it goes fast!
Trim off the excess oven paper with a knife or scissors
With a fork, prick holes in the entire sheet of dough - this will prevent the dough from rising.

SERVING & GARNISH SUGGESTIONS

NOTES