(No) Work of Tart

Rustic Apple Tart

I'm a little hesitant to post this, in the same way that David Blaine might not want to go around telling people how he does that levitating thing- It's one of my entertaining staples, and I don't want to ruin the magic of it.
However, this recipe is so delicious and so easy to make that I would be doing you all a disservice if I chose to never reveal this secret. If you've been to dinner at my house enough times, you probably have tasted this puppy (and then subsequently died and gone to heaven) as it is pretty frequently pulled from my bag of tricks. In this week of holidays, this tart makes for a quick and easy treat. It's not fancy, but it's precisely the pureness and simplicity of the flavors that make it taste so darn good. If you stock a few easy ingredients, you can whip it up whenever the mood strikes you. Like pulling a rabbit out of your hat.

You will need:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a standard 17.3-ounce package), thawed (I keep a package of the Pepperidge Farm kind in my freezer at all times- they take about 30-40 minutes to thaw).
Flour, for work surface
3 Granny Smith or Gala apples
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons apricot jam

Here's what you do:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Open pastry sheet and remove paper. Fold sheet back up. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out pastry sheet (still folded) to an 8-by-14-inch rectangle. Trim edges with a pizza cutter or sharp paring knife.

2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and transfer dough to baking sheet; place in freezer. Peel, core, and slice apples 1/4 inch thick. Toss in a large bowl with sugar, (and a little cinnamon of you want).

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

4. In the microwave or a small saucepan, heat jelly with 1 tablespoon water until melted. Brush apples with glaze. Cut tart into pieces with a serrated knife, and serve warm or at room temperature, with vanilla bean ice cream, or fresh whipped cream.

It will be hard to resist scarfing it all down immediately, but try to save some for the next day- abracadabreakfast!

photo and recipe adapted from Martha Stewart