A Showstopping Apple Tart
expert tips for making an unforgettable version of this classic
If you’ve been following me for a long time, you’ll be familiar with this glorious apple galette. When my decades-long friend and colleague, Amalia Mariño, worked in the pastry department at Chez Panisse, she took their classic tart to the next level by arranging the fruit in a herringbone pattern. I’ve been obsessed since the first time I laid eyes on this, and I think you will be, too. I asked Amalia to share her master tips with us in time for the holidays, so get ready for a treat! Leave any questions below for Amalia and she’ll answer them next week! —Samin
Good things take time, and this apple tart is a process, but a rewarding one. Almost everything I’m sharing here was taught to me by the brilliant people I worked alongside at Chez Panisse, lo so many years ago. 🩷
Every pastry cook has their own patterns they like to make on the seasonal fruit tarts that are nearly always on the Chez menu. (Yes, technically this is a galette, but we call them tarts and that’s okay!) My Stripes-On-Round-Things obsession really came out on the eight or so tarts I used to make during my pastry shifts. Whenever Samin passed my station she’d comment on my obsession, and soon we were talking (and laughing) about this and all the things.
Apples are a great place to start if you’re new to making tarts. They’re like training wheels to help you learn the process without the extra challenge of a super juicy fruit —that’s varsity level. The beautiful pink-fleshed apples we used for this post came from Freddy Menge at Epicenter Orchards, a small farm near Santa Cruz. Epicenter doesn’t grow any name brand varieties, instead preferring types that exhibit intensity and complexity, both heirloom and newly discovered or bred. Here we used their Rubaiyat, Grenadine, and VIP apples. Other, more widely available, pink or red fleshed apples to look out for include Pink Pearl and Mountain Rose, but this approach is also beautiful with regular, white-fleshed apples. One of my favorites is the Pink Lady, which you can find in most grocery stores these days.
If you really want a bi-color tart but can’t find pink apples, try alternating apple slices with poached quince, which has a lovely rosy hue. Or poach two pans of pears — one in white wine and the other in red, for a pear galette.
Amalia’s Herringbone Tart
Start with a great recipe
In this post, David Lebovitz recounts the lore of the Chez Panisse tart dough, originally taught to the pastry department by Jacques Pépin. His recipe makes two dough balls, so you can either make two tarts or save one (tightly wrapped) in your freezer as a gift to your future self.
We put a thin layer of frangipane on the bottom of this tart for more crunch and nuance in flavor. David Lebovitz—a true legend of the Chez Panisse pastry department—has a fantastic frangipane recipe and tips for dealing with juicy fruits, if/when you want to move on from apples.
Both recipes have lots of great info on rolling out and handling the dough.
Prep the apples
Peel apples from top to bottom to give their outer edges a more natural, curved shape, which makes all the difference when you lay them out.
Quarter and core the apples. As you go, collect the trimmings into a small sauce pot. You’ll use this to make the glaze. (It’s best start the glaze before you slice the apples — more on that below.)
Slice the quartered apples. You’re aiming for a wedge shape—about 1/4-inch wide at the skin edge, tapering towards the seed side, as shown here. They won’t all be perfect, but there will be a place to use each piece as you construct the tart.
Make a glaze
Put the peels on to cook before you begin slicing the apples so trimmings don’t have time to oxidize. Finish the glaze while your tart bakes since you’ll want to glaze your tart while it’s still warm.
Add just enough water and apple cider to cover the trimmings — use about two parts water to one part cider. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower to a simmer.
Once the trimmings have released all of their “apple-ness,” about 25 minutes, strain the solids, then return strained liquid back to sauce pot.
Add about a quarter cup of sugar for one-tart’s worth of apples to strained liquid.* Again, this doesn’t need to be precise. Return to a gentle simmer and reduce by roughly a third. This should take about 15 minutes, but the true measure is reaching the right consistency.**
*Do not skimp on the sugar! Sugar keeps the liquid from scorching and turns it into a viscous, shiny glaze. Too little and you’ll get a burnt, brown (un)glaze, while too much will just make apple candy. The margin of error is wide, so don’t stress.
**The glaze will thicken as it cools, so check for proper consistency by putting a spoonful in the fridge for a few minutes. Eventually you’ll paint the glaze onto the finished tart, so think Sherman-Williams consistency. If it sets up solid, you’ve gone too far. Whisk in some water, return to a simmer, then test again.
Once you have the right consistency, pour glaze into a jar and set aside.
Roll out and shape the dough
Follow your recipe’s instructions on tempering dough before you roll it out. Then, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 14- to 16-inch round.
Transfer the dough onto a piece of parchment. Slide parchment and dough onto a pizza pan or an upside-down half-sheet tray for assembly and baking, then spread on a thin layer of softened frangipane, leaving a border of about two inches around the edge.
Choose your pattern (or mine)
I love a herringbone stripe, so that’s what I demonstrated here, but follow your bliss. Whatever pattern you choose, make sure the apple slices are consistently and tightly overlapping.
First, lay some apple slices end-to-end to make a border around the edge of the frangipane. Any of the “uglies” can go here because you’ll eventually hide them under the folded edge of the dough.
To make a herringbone pattern, start at the top of the tart and tilt slices at a 30-ish degree angle as you lay them down in a row. Working right to left, place each slice so it overlaps the previous slice, hiding the thin edge of the previous slice under the wide edge of the slice you’re laying down.
For the next row, work left to right—the wedge side of the slices will face the opposite direction. Maintain the 30-ish degree angle and continue to overlap the slices as above, while also overlapping the first row by about a third.
Continue in this way until the tart is covered. If using two colors of fruit, alternate colors after every two rows.
Fold the edge, brush with butter, sprinkle with sugar
There are lots of ways to fold the edge of a tart (see recipe links above) — this is my favorite!
Lift the edge of the dough and fold it over the apples at an angle. At the same time, use your index finger to turn the bit your finger covers under and use your thumb to push the next bit forward to fold and meet the next section of the edge. Use the thumb and index finger of your opposite hand to pinch where the fold meets. Continue all the way around.
Using a pastry brush, coat entire tart with melted butter, lifting pan to get into all the crevices. Cover everything!
Seriously, do not skimp on the sugar! Generously sprinkle tart with sugar, lifting pan to get into all the crevices. Aim to cover as much surface area as possible.
Wipe any excess butter or sugar off parchment paper so it doesn’t burn in the oven.
Bake the tart
If dough has softened, chill tart in the refrigerator to for 10 minutes before baking. This is optional—skip it if you don’t have time/space, but having nice cold butter in your dough yields a flakier crust.
Arrange an oven rack to the lowest position. Bake at 425°Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 400°. Rotate the tart every 15 minutes or so, and bake until the all edges are well-browned and the apples have a little color, about 45 minutes.
If you have a pizza stone, this is a great time to use it. Start baking with the pan on the stone. When it’s time to reduce heat, transfer the tart by resting the edge of the pan on the edge of the stone, then using the parchment to gently slide the tart, along with the parchment, directly onto the stone. This will make the bottom of your tart crispier and browner. Transfer the tart back onto the pan to remove from oven.
Immediately transfer the baked tart and parchment to a cooling rack on top of a sheet pan. Carefully pull parchment out from under the tart. This will allow for maximum crunchiness as the tart cools.
If you have a torch on hand and would like to guild the lily, torch the edge of the tart so that the sugar melts and becomes glassy and shiny. Do this immediately after removing from the oven, while the sugar is still hot. If you set the tart on fire, don’t panic, just blow it out quickly. We’ve all been there (as you can see in the photo below).
Once the tart has cooled a bit, use a clean pastry brush to paint the glaze onto the surface of the apples. If you’re partial to shine, you can paint on another layer right before you serve.
Finish & enjoy!
Your tart will be at its crunchiest and best on the day you make it. You can store it, tightly wrapped, on the counter for another day or two, but day one is really where it’s at so try to share it ASAP!
Is it weird that I can't stop staring at the "prep the apples" photos? They give me such joy in my heart! ❤️🍎
Any suggestions for using gluten-free flour? Any adjustments to quantities or other ingredients to think about? Thank you!