French Apple Tart with Brown Butter Glaze & Maldon Salt
A beautiful French apple tart with crisp, buttery pastry, naturally sweet Honeycrisp apples (you could also use more tart Granny Smith’s) and a delicate brown sugar butter glaze. Finished with flaky Maldon sea salt for the perfect balance of sweet and salty.
Note to begin: I like my desserts less sweet, but if you like things sweeter, double the sugar on the apples and the glaze, especially if you’re using Granny Smith’s. Here, I used Ontario Honey Crisp apples which already have a natural sweetness. Also, please use your kitchen scale to measure ingredients accurately, very important.
Serves 6 to 8 | Oven 400°F | Baking Time 40–50 Minutes
Ingredients
For the Pastry
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt
1 teaspoon (4 g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (170 g) cold unsalted butter, diced
½ cup (120 ml) ice water, as needed
For the Apples
4 medium Honeycrisp apples (approximately 550–650 g peeled and cored)
1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons (43 g) cold salted butter, diced
1 teaspoon (5 ml) fresh lemon juice, optional
For the Brown Butter Glaze
1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter
3 teaspoons (8 g) light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon (5 ml) water
Maldon sea salt, for finishing
Preparation
For the pastry, combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Pulse briefly to combine. Add butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until butter resembles small peas. With the motor running, gradually add ice water, starting with 90 ml, and pulse just until dough begins to come together. Transfer to a lightly floured surface, shape into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll pastry slightly larger than 10 × 14 inches. Trim edges to form a neat rectangle, transfer to prepared baking sheet, and refrigerate while preparing apples.
For the apples, peel, halve, and core apples. Slice crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices. Arrange overlapping slices diagonally across pastry, creating rows until pastry is covered. Sprinkle evenly with sugar and lemon juice, if using, and dot with cold butter.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes, rotating pan halfway through, until pastry is deeply golden and apples are tender with lightly caramelized edges. If pastry puffs during baking, prick gently with a knife to release steam.
For the brown butter glaze, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Remove from heat, stir in brown sugar and water, and return to low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and glaze is smooth. If necessary, add a few drops of water to keep the glaze brushable.
Brush warm glaze generously over apples immediately after removing tart from oven. Loosen tart from parchment with a metal spatula while still warm. Allow to cool slightly.
Finish with a delicate sprinkle of Maldon sea salt just before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature, with lightly whipped unsweetened cream, if you like. It’s also delicious all on it own!
Mari's Note: Honeycrisp apples are naturally sweet, so this tart needs very little added sugar. The brown butter glaze adds a subtle caramel flavour and a lovely sheen, while the Maldon salt brings everything together.
