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Mary Berry French Apple Tart Recipe

Mary Berry French Apple Tart
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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:

    • Plain Flour (175g / 1¼ cups)

    • Unsalted Butter (75g / 5 tbsp, chilled and diced)

    • Icing Sugar (25g / 2 tbsp)

    • Egg Yolk (1)

    • Cold Water (1–2 tbsp)

For the filling:

    • Apples (5 large, such as Braeburn or Cox’s, peeled and cored)

    • Caster Sugar (50g / ¼ cup)

    • Unsalted Butter (25g / 2 tbsp)

    • Lemon Juice (1 tbsp)

For the glaze:

    • Apricot Jam (2–3 tbsp)

    • Water (1 tbsp)

Instructions

Step 1: Make the pastry

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.

Step 2: Prepare the apple compote

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.

Step 3: Prepare the tart base

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.

Step 4: Blind bake the tart shell

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.

Step 5: Assemble the tart

Spread the cooled apple compote over the base. Thinly slice the remaining 3 apples and arrange them in overlapping concentric circles over the compote.

Step 6: Bake the tart

Bake for 25–30 minutes until the apples are tender and lightly golden.

Step 7: Glaze the tart

 

Heat the apricot jam with water until melted. Brush the glaze generously over the warm tart for a beautiful shine.

Find it online: https://britishbakingrecipes.co.uk/mary-berry-french-apple-tart-recipe/