Michel Roux Jr’s puff pastry apple tart
- Published: 12 Oct 22
- Updated: 25 Mar 24
Michel Roux Jr shares his step-by-step recipe for perfect puff pastry apple tart (tarte aux pommes et calvados). Serve with chantilly cream.
Michel’s story A scion of the Roux family fine-dining dynasty, Michel began his career with a patisserie apprenticeship in Paris. For nearly 30 years he’s been chef-patron of two-Michelin-star restaurant Le Gavroche, opened in 1967 by his late father, Albert, and uncle, Michel Sr. He also oversees the food at London hotel The Langham and teaches at its cookery school, Sauce by The Langham. Michel Roux Jr’s classes are a chance to learn from the main man, while preparing a menu of his design. saucebylangham.com
Ingredients
- 200g ready-made all-butter puff pastry
- 2 tbsp stewed apple or sweet apple sauce (see Know How)
- 6 apples, peeled, cored and quartered (see Roux’s Rules and Be A Better Cook)
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 40g unsalted butter, diced
- 1 free-range egg yolk, beaten
- Calvados to serve
For the chantilly cream
- 250ml double cream
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped out
Method
- On a clean work surface, roll out the puff pastry into a large, 3mm-thick sheet. Using a bowl or plate, cut a circle about 25cm in diameter. Crimp the edge (see Roux’s Rules), then turn the circle over and lay it directly onto a flat baking tray. Chill in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.
- Remove the pastry from the fridge and spread the stewed apple/apple sauce over it, leaving a 1cm border at the edges (this is to anchor the apples in place).
- Heat the oven to 180°C fan/gas 6. Cut the apple quarters into slices the thickness of a two-pound coin. Working from the outside in, arrange them on the pastry, fanning them out (see Roux’s Rules). Use the largest slices on the outside and the smallest slices in the middle.
- Once all the apples have been laid out, sprinkle over the caster sugar and dot with the cubes of butter. Brush the pastry border with the beaten egg yolk, then bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and risen around the edge (see Roux’s Rules).
- For the chantilly cream, whisk the cream, icing sugar and vanilla seeds in a bowl until very soft (floppy) peaks form. Set aside until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, transfer the tart onto a serving plate. Warm a splash of calvados in a small pan. Ignite the alcohol with a match or lighter (be careful of your fingers) and pour over the tart. Serve immediately with the chantilly cream.
- Recipe from October 2022 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 288kcals
- Fat
- 21g (12.8g saturated)
- Protein
- 2.5g
- Carbohydrates
- 20g (12.7g sugars)
- Fibre
- 1.4g
- Salt
- 0.1g
FAQs
How do I know when the tart is cooked?
It’s important the apple is cooked all the way through – and obviously if you put more apple on there, it’s going to need a little bit longer in the oven. Use the visual cues, a skewer to test – and read the recipe.
How do I crimp the pastry?
It doesn’t have to be fancy – it could be just pressing a fork along the edges. I pinch and fold the edges slightly, but that’s just me. Crimping the underside may seem counter-intuitive but as the pastry cooks it rises and curls round to reveal the crimping.
What’s the key to assembling the tart?
Don’t skimp on the apple – that’s important. The fruit does cook down, so you need to be quite generous. When you’re fanning out the slices, arrange them closely and overlapping, not flat – the filling should be slightly raised, so you get a nice amount of apple.
delicious. tips
If you’re quartering the apples in advance, toss in a little lemon juice and keep in the fridge to prevent them turning brown. The lower temperature and acidity in the juice slows down the oxidation that causes discolouration (this also works for avocados, artichokes, pears etc).
Make your own stewed apples by cooking peeled, cored chunks of apple in a pan with a squeeze of lemon juice and sugar to taste for 10-15 minutes until soft.
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Michel Roux’s French apple tart is as delicious as you might expect. If I may dare to suggest an addition, I always apply a glaze as a final stage after the Calvados and before the addition of any cream/ice cream. I personally like the bite of a quince jelly applied with a pastry brush, but a dessert spoonful of any neutrally coloured fruit jelly will work, just warmed in the microwave enough to liquefy it. Perfection.