Apple Puff Pastry Tart

I've expressed before how much I love puff pastry and that it's a staple in my freezer. Recently I had an overwhelming craving for something sweet.  I had a rough day at work and needed a little treat. It's relaxing for me to bake, but I didn't have a lot of time to devote to my sweet treat desire. I pulled out a sheet of puff pastry and made this quick apple tart. Easy, good, and just enough to satisfy my craving for a sweet! 

Any apple can be used with this tart.  Fuji apples had just been picked at my favorite fruit stand so I grabbed a bag of them one afternoon!

Apple Puff Pastry Tart

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
3-5 apples
1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon water to make egg wash
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Streusel Topping

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Open pastry sheet and remove paper.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry sheet into an 8-by-14-inch rectangle. Trim edges with a pizza cutter or knife, if necessary to make edges even. Transfer to a baking sheet; place in freezer.

To make streusel topping, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Using a pastry blender, or two knives, mix ingredients until the mixture is crumbly and it starts holding together.

Peel, core, and slice apples 1/4-inch thick. 

Remove pastry from freezer.  Brush pastry with egg wash, avoiding edges. Using a sharp paring knife, score a 3/4-inch border around pastry (do not cut all the way through). Arrange apples inside border, and dot with butter.  Sprinkle streusel topping over the apples. Bake until pastry is golden and apples are tender, 30 to 35 minutes.

Slightly cutting around the edges allows the border to puff up and enclose the apples.

Tomato Tart

The last few days we've had 100+ degree days. Hot, hot, hot!  Big dinners don't appeal to me on hot days.  Nor does standing over a hot stove or making my house warmer by turning the oven on.  I feel compassion for my Hubbers and don't plan grilled meals (he thinks he's cooked dinner if I give him something to grill). So, what's a girl to cook? This tomato tart was just the answer. My food board friend, Glynda, provided this recipe.  It came from a Junior League of Jackson, Mississippi cookbook.

Anytime I make pie dough I always make extra. Making one batch, or multiple batches of dough, is the same kitchen mess so why not think ahead! A round of pie dough will last in the fridge a day or two, in the freezer for a few months. I made a peach pie on Friday, the extra dough went in a tomato tart for Saturday night's dinner.  I baked it early in the day, while it was still cool.  Putting dinner on the table was a breeze; a slice of tart, a few slices of fresh melon and we were good to go. My Hubbers had the difficult task of opening our bottle of wine!

Tomato tarts are very popular in Europe. Europeans tend to cook with fresh ingredients that result in simple dishes.  The tarts are a great use of fresh tomatoes.  They are good warm or at room temperature. They make a great picnic food. This tart, with the mozzarella and basil, is like eating a caprese salad in a crust! I had never made anything like this but we really enjoyed our meal.  The bonus was we each had a slice for breakfast the next day!

The heirloom tomatoes at the Farmers' Market are so flavorful and pretty!

I used fresh mozzarella, which was too soft to shred, so I just tore off chunks of it!

Ready for the oven!

Fresh Tomato Tart

Pastry dough for 10" pie (homemade, frozen, or Pillsbury refrigerated)
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Ripe tomatoes, cut in 1/2" slices
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin oil oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a removable-bottom tart pan with pastry dough. 

Spread bottom of dough with cheese and sprinkle with basil.  Cover with tomato slices, arranging to cover as evenly as possible.  Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes.