Chef's Recipes

Mère Roux’s apple tartlet

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Mère Roux’s apple tartlet from La Colombe d'Or in France.

  • 20 mins preparation
  • 40 mins cooking plus cooling, resting
  • Serves 4
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Mère Roux’s apple tartlet

Ingredients

  • 375 gm sheet butter puff pastry
  • 6 Granny Smith apples
  • 90 gm caster sugar
  • 30 ml Calvados or brandy
  • 1 cinnamon quill
  • Juice and finely grated rind of ½ lemon
  • For brushing: melted butter
  • For dusting: icing sugar
  • To serve: vanilla ice-cream

Method

Main
  • 1
    Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to 2mm thick, place on a tray and refrigerate to rest (1 hour). Line four 8cm-diameter tart tins with pastry and refrigerate to rest (1 hour). Trim edges and preheat oven to 220C.
  • 2
    Meanwhile, coarsely chop 4 apples and combine in a saucepan with caster sugar, Calvados, cinnamon, lemon juice and rind and 40ml water. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves, then bring to the simmer and stir occasionally until very tender and liquid has evaporated (15-20 minutes). Set aside to cool completely and discard cinnamon.
  • 3
    Fill tart cases with apple compote to 5mm below rim (there may be a little compote left over) and set aside. Cut cheeks from remaining apples, then thinly slice and fan one apple cheek over each tart. Brush apple with melted butter, dust heavily with icing sugar and bake, brushing with a little extra butter and dusting with icing sugar half-way through cooking, until pastry is crisp and apple is tender (15-20 minutes). Cool in tins, then serve at room temperature with vanilla ice-cream.