Apple Rose Mini Tarts Recipes

APPLE ROSE TARTS

Steps:

• Thaw puff pastry sheets at room temperature (this should take about 1 hour).
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan.
• Remove core from apples and using a mandoline slicer or food processor with a slicer attachment, slice apples as paper-thin as possible. The thinner the apples, the more pliable they will be which will prevent them from breaking when rolling.
• Place apple slices into a medium bowl. Fill bowl with water enough to cover apple slices. Mix in lemon juice to prevent apples from browning. Heat bowl of apples for about 1-2 minutes in the microwave or until apples are soft and pliable.
• Lightly flour a pastry board. Place puff pastry sheets on board and slice each sheet into six equal strips.
• In a small bowl, add apricot preserves and 1 tbsp water. Stir together and then heat in the microwave for about 20 seconds, or until warm and easy to spread. Spread a thin layer of a preserve on one side of each strip of dough.
• Line apple slices on the upper half of each strip of dough, so that they are sticking out partially, with the skin part of the slices sticking out above the dough. (You don't want too much of the apple sticking out above the dough otherwise this part of the apple will overcook in the oven. You just want about 1/3 sticking out.) Overlap the apple slices when lining them on the strip of dough. Fold up the bottom half of the dough.
• Starting at one end, carefully roll up the strip of dough, forming a tight spiral. Stretch the end of the dough and pinch to close. Place into greased muffin pan. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Place muffin pan into the lower half of the oven (this will prevent the apples from browning too fast). Bake for about 40 minutes or until puff pastry is fully cooked and golden brown.
• Dust apple roses with powdered sugar right before serving.

ROSE APPLE TART

Steps:

• Make the crust: Combine the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the butter pieces on top, and pulse until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, and pulse until incorporated. Pulse in the water, about 2 teaspoons at a time, until the dough starts to hold together. It will appear to be a bit crumbly, but should hold together easily when pressed.
• Lightly butter a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, and pour the dough mixture into it. Press the mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. (Use a lightly floured straight-sided measuring cup to help press the dough into the corners of the pan.) Reserve extra dough to repair any cracks after the shell is baked.
• Freeze the formed dough in the pan until completely firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Line the tart shell with a piece of aluminum foil, making sure to tuck it into the corners and over the edges. Bake the shell for 20 to 25 minutes or until the dough appears dry and lightly golden. If the dough puffs up while baking, gently press it back into the pan with an offset spatula or similar tool. If necessary, repair any cracks with the remaining raw dough. Cool slightly while you prepare the apples.
• Cut the apples from their cores in 3 pieces: Stand the apples up, with the stems facing up, and, using a sharp knife, cut 1 face of the apple, then rotate the apple about 120 degrees, slice again, and finally slice the last piece from the core. You should have a triangle-shaped piece of core left and 3 pieces of apple with flat bottoms.
• Reserve a smaller piece of apple, and carefully slice all the other apples into very thin half-moons, about 1/8-inch thick. (A mandoline makes this move quickly, but, if you are using a knife and working slowly, it's a good idea to squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over the sliced apples to prevent browning.) Make sure to keep the slices together as you cut to make the assembly easier.
• Once the apples are sliced, build the tart: Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon sugar on the bottom of the blind-baked tart shell. Starting at the outer edge, arrange the apples in tight concentric circles, overlapping each slice about halfway over its neighbor. Take care to stand the apples up vertically, with the cut edges down and the peel edge pointing up. Pack the rows very tightly, stopping periodically to check your work.
• As you move toward the center, the apples will become trickier to bend into place. If you find the slices are breaking, slice the reserved piece of apple even thinner to make it easier to bend. Roll the last few slices into a circle and tuck it in the center.
• Sprinkle the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and a pinch of salt over the apple slices. Take care to sprinkle the sugar between the apple slices, rather than on top. Scatter the butter pieces on top, and bake the tart for 40 to 45 minutes or until the apples begin to brown just slightly on the edges and the crust is a deep golden brown. Check the tart periodically to make sure the shell is not over-browning at the edges. If it is, cover the edges with foil.
• Cool the tart on a rack for about 10 minutes, then prepare the glaze: In a small saucepan, warm the jam and a few drops of water over medium-low heat until it is runny. Use a pastry brush to very gently brush the warm tart with jam. Avoid brushing jam on the crust, but a thin layer all over the apple slices. Serve warm or room temperature.

APPLE ROSE TART

Steps:

• Rub the butter and flour together in a large bowl using your fingertips. Work through the mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, egg yolk (reserve the white), vanilla extract and 2-3 tsp cold water to form a ball of dough that leaves the bowl clean. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, put the apple slices in a large bowl. squeeze over the lemon juice and cover with water. Microwave on High for 4 mins, then drain and pat dry on some kitchen paper. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.
• Roll out the pastry to fit the tin and trim the edges with scissors so they stand up, about 5mm above the edge. Prick the surface of the pastry a few times with a fork. Place a layer of foil on top, add some baking beans and blind-bake for 15 mins. Remove the beans and foil, brush the pastry with the reserved egg white and return to the oven for 10-15 mins until biscuity.
• Roll out 75g more of the marzipan out on a surface dusted with a little icing sugar until it's approx 20 x 15cm. Cut into three rectangles and lay eight apple slices down the long edge of each strip of marzipan (see step-by-step guide) and reserve the rest. Fold the bare edge of each strip over to cover the apples, then roll up from the short edge (see step-by-step guide). Place the apple roses in eggcups or a muffin tin so that they hold their shape. Roll the remaining marzipan into small balls.
• Mix the butter, sugar, eggs, almonds, flour and milk together in a large bowl and whisk until well combined. Take the tart case out of the oven and spread with the filling. Gently press your apple-marzipan roses into the filling, evenly spaced out, then scatter over the balls of marzipan. Fill the gaps with the remaining apple slices so that the filling is covered, curving the slices a little as you go to create additional petals on the roses, or rolling them up tightly to look like rosebuds, all with the peel-side facing upwards.
• Return to the oven for 30-35 mins, then leave the tart to cool in the tin for 10 mins. Meanwhile, heat the apricot jam in a small saucepan until simmering, then pass it through a metal sieve into a bowl. Brush it over the surface of the tart while both the jam and the tart are still warm. Serve the tart a little warm, or leave to cool, then turn it out onto a serving plate and dust with icing sugar.

APPLE ROSE MINI TARTS

Steps:

• Cut apples lengthwise in half, then cut each half crosswise into 15 thin slices.
• Cook water and 2 Tbsp. honey in medium saucepan on medium heat 2 to 3 min. or until heated through. Add apples; stir. Cover; simmer on medium-low heat 5 to 8 min. or just until apples are softened, stirring occasionally. Drain apples; spread onto rimmed baking sheet. Cool completely.
• Heat oven to 350ºF. Melt chocolate as directed on package. Mix with Neufchatel until blended.
• Unfold pastry sheet on lightly floured surface; cut crosswise into 6 strips. Spread with Neufchatel mixture. Arrange 5 apple slices, overlapping slightly, down one long side of each pastry strip, extending tops of apple slices slightly over top edge of pastry strip.
• Spray 6 muffin pan cups with cooking spray. Roll up each pastry strip, starting at one short end. Stand, apple sides up, in prepared muffin cups.
• Bake 40 to 45 min. or until golden brown. Cool slightly.
• Microwave remaining honey in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 10 sec. or just until warmed; brush onto tarts.