Description
Mary Berry’s French Apple Tart is a classic dessert featuring a shortcrust pastry shell, a thin layer of apple compote, and elegantly sliced fresh apples arranged on top. It’s baked until golden and finished with a shiny apricot glaze. It’s lighter and more refined than a traditional deep-dish apple pie.
Ingredients
For the pastry:
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- Plain Flour (175g / 1¼ cups)
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- Unsalted Butter (75g / 5 tbsp, chilled and diced)
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- Icing Sugar (25g / 2 tbsp)
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- Egg Yolk (1)
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- Cold Water (1–2 tbsp)
For the filling:
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- Apples (5 large, such as Braeburn or Cox’s, peeled and cored)
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- Caster Sugar (50g / ¼ cup)
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- Unsalted Butter (25g / 2 tbsp)
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- Lemon Juice (1 tbsp)
For the glaze:
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- Apricot Jam (2–3 tbsp)
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- Water (1 tbsp)
Instructions
Place the flour, butter, and icing sugar into a bowl (or food processor) and rub together (or pulse) until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and enough cold water to bring the dough together. Form into a disc, wrap in cling film, and chill for 30 minutes.
Roughly chop 2 of the apples. Place them in a saucepan with the sugar, butter, and lemon juice. Cook gently for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples break down into a thick compote. Let it cool.
Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface. Line the tart tin with the pastry, trim the edges, and prick the base lightly with a fork. Chill again for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) / 400°F. Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake for 10–12 minutes, then remove the paper and beans and bake for another 5 minutes until pale golden.
Spread the cooled apple compote over the base. Thinly slice the remaining 3 apples and arrange them in overlapping concentric circles over the compote.
Bake for 25–30 minutes until the apples are tender and lightly golden.
Heat the apricot jam with water until melted. Brush the glaze generously over the warm tart for a beautiful shine.