The easy French apple tart: the most deceptive recipe in French baking. It looks simple — it is — but hides dozens of small details that separate a passable tart from one that disappears in five minutes. This guide gives you all of them.

Prep: 15 min  |  Pastry rest: 30 min  |  Cook: 35-40 min  |  Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

Shortcrust pastry: 250g flour, 125g cold butter, 1 pinch salt, 1 tsp sugar, 50ml cold water

Filling:

• 5-6 apples (mix 2 varieties — see below)
• 40g caster sugar + 20g brown sugar for caramelising
• 20g butter in small pieces
• 1 tsp Madagascar cinnamon
• 1 sachet vanilla sugar
• 1 tbsp apricot jam or honey for glazing

Which Apples? The Pastry Chef Secret

• Golden Delicious: Melts into a soft, sweet base — ideal for the bottom layer
• Reine des Reinettes: Holds its shape, fragrant and slightly tart — perfect for the decorative top slices
• Pink Lady: Sugar-acid balance, doesn't brown quickly
• Granny Smith: Very tart, holds perfectly — use 30% maximum with sweeter apples

Winning formula: 60% Golden/Boskoop (melts = soft base) + 40% Reine des Reinettes (holds = recognisable slices on top).

Step-by-Step Recipe

1. Make pastry (10 min): Rub cold butter into flour until breadcrumb texture. Add cold water and bring together without kneading. Refrigerate 30 min.
2. Pre-cook the bottom layer apples (5 min): Dice half the apples and cook 5 min in a pan with butter and cinnamon until just tender. This prevents the base from becoming soggy.
3. Line the tin: Roll to 3mm, line a 26cm tart tin, prick base generously.
4. Assemble: Spread pre-cooked diced apples. Arrange thin raw slices in a concentric rosette on top.
5. Bake (35-40 min, 180°C): Sprinkle with sugars and cinnamon, dot with butter.
6. Apricot glaze: While still warm, brush with warmed apricot jam or honey thinned with a drop of water. The patisserie shine in 30 seconds.