They say classics never die, and without a doubt that's true: this easy apple and red fruit tart is a super quick recipe to make, light and absolutely delicious. But do you know what's most interesting about shortcrust tarts like the one we bring today? That you can make it all year round with the fruits you fancy (fresh or frozen) and it always turns out well. Also, it's not a heavy tart and is ideal for any occasion.
I'm sure many of you have made it at least once. If not, make it — it's so quick to prepare and allows so many variations!
Beyond the recipe, which I hope you really enjoy, I hope some notes I leave here and in the recipe give you some new ideas to vary the recipe you usually follow or encourage you to try one of the optional suggestions I make.
Things to keep in mind
- Today we make it with a large amount of apple and some red fruits. I used berries and cherries, which I can still find fresh. But you can use frozen fruit if you want (in most large grocery stores you'll find bags of frozen fruit).
- If using frozen fruit, it's better to leave it at room temperature to thaw beforehand, otherwise it will release a lot of water and ruin the crust.
- I used red apples, but you can use only yellow apples like Golden. They are sweeter and I actually love them baked. By combining red and Golden, I achieved a less sweet tart, which is what I wanted, and you also get a crispness from the fruit.
- You can use shortcrust pastry, pâte brisée or puff pastry, but given the amount of fruit I prefer to use shortcrust because it supports the weight better (and I like it more for this type of tart... it feels more like a tart, don't you agree?)
- In the pastry aisle of large supermarkets, you'll find jars of cherry pie filling. They are a great option to sweeten and add juiciness, and can be part of the fruit you add to the tart (if you do so, I would reduce the sugar in the recipe). Its syrup is sweetish and will mix with all the fruit and make a deliciously attractive tart. You can also make that filling at home, here you'll see how to make pie filling.
Ingredients
- 1 griddle of rectangular shortcrust pastry or brisée (2 two round doughs)
- 2 red apples such as Ambrosia or Gala
- 1 Golden apple
- 150 g red fruits (strawberries, blackberries, cherries, mixed berries...)*
- Half a lemon
- 100 g sugar**
- 1/3 tsp cinnamon
- (optional) 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- (optional) Strawberry jam
*You can also use cherry pie filling (see previous notes).
**You can substitute part of it with brown sugar, it adds interesting notes and caramelization.
- 1 beaten egg
- Icing sugar
Preparation
Prepare the pastry:
If you have 1 rectangular sheet:
Roll out the rectangular shortcrust pastry, and draw a circle — it should be about 3 centimeters wider than the base of the mold you'll use. That is, if you use a mold with a 20cm base, the circle should be 23-24 cm in diameter. To do this, you can use a plate (place a plate upside down on the pastry (many flat plates are 23 or 24 cm, measure it), and cut around it with a sharp knife.
The leftover pastry you cut will be the top strips of the tart. Cut those leftovers into strips one or two centimeters wide.
If you have 2 circular sheets: one sheet will be the tart base, and the other sheet you should cut into strips 1 centimeter thick to make the top strips of the tart.
If you used 2 sheets, you'll get many strips. That leads you to decide between two lovely and delicious options: (1) that the top of the tart is not just some crosswise strips, but weave them (some top-to-bottom and others right-to-left, making a lattice that covers the whole tart); (2) use some strips to cover the tart, and cut others into smaller pieces and mix them with the fruit you'll put inside (I assure you this is a delicious option, every bite is amazing if you find fruit with more pastry).
Prepare the tart
- Place the pastry in the removable clamp tin, pressing the sides toward the mold so they are raised.
- Wash, peel and cut the apples into slices and then into small cubes. Place them in a bowl and squeeze a little lemon over them so they don't brown. Mix to coat everything.
- Wash the red fruits, and cut them if using strawberries to get smaller pieces. Add them to the apple and mix.
- Only if you used two puff pastry sheets and have extra pastry, as explained above you can now cut some of the leftover strips into pieces and mix them with the fruit.
- Add the sugar and cinnamon (and nutmeg, if using), and mix.
- Pour the fruit into the prepared mold with the shortcrust pastry.
- Arrange the reserved pastry strips on top. You can give them a half twist when placing them, creating a spiral shape over the fruit.
- Fold the pastry edges down, covering the ends of the strips you've arranged.
- Brush all the pastry with beaten egg.
- Bake at 180 degrees for about 45 minutes
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Before serving, generously dust with icing sugar.
NOTE: If you like, after placing the pastry in the mold (before pouring the fruit in), you can spread strawberry jam over the entire base to add juiciness and sweetness (I normally don't apply it, but it's a good option). You can also add a few spoonfuls of jam and mix them with the fruit.
