French Apple Tart

Almost everyone know Julia Child's Tart Tatin-the caramelized upside down pie, but she also published a couple of other recipes.  Here is her classic Tart Aux Pommes from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking".

Line a removable bottom tart pan with your favorite pastry recipe and blind bake the shell for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and weights and return to the oven for 5 more minutes.  Cool the shell before proceeding.


4 pounds crisp cooking apples
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup rum or cognac
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter
zest of 1 lemon

Peel and core the apples.  thinly slice 3 cups of apples and toss them with the 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon lemon juice, reserve these slices to top the tart.

Cut the remaining apples into rough chunks and put them in a heavy bottomed sauce pan.

Cook them over low heat with the 1/3 cup apricot preserves, rum sugar and butter.  Stir and crush the apples into a thick apple sauce, raising the heat if necessary.

Spread the apple sauce into the tart shell.

Cover the top of the applesauce with the reserved apple slices, arranging them in a neat overlapping pattern.

Bake in the upper part of a pre-heated 375 degree oven until the apple slices are slightly browned and tender.

Glaze the top of the tart with melted apricot preserves.  Julia strained her preserves-I just left mine chunky.

Serve warm or cold with whipped cream.