A showstopping apple rose tart for two, made with pastry dough and one apple. A nice dessert or snack for special celebrations like Valentine’s Day or make it a light spectacular finish of your holiday dinner.
It takes a little bit of effort and time to make this tiny apple rose tart, but the end result is worth it. A cute tart with juice apples, a hint of cinnamon and sweetness. Just enough for two.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Pastry dough – I use store bought, but if you want to make it yourself, please do so.
- Apples – I used Honey Crisp apples. Juicy with a reddish peel.
- Lemon juice – to prevent the apples from turning brown and to add flavor.
- Sugar – light brown sugar.
- Cinnamon – cannot imagine an apple tart without cinnamon.
- Salt – flavor.
- Apricot preserves – flavor reasons.
- Butter – to grease pie dish.
How to make the Apple Rose Tart for Two
Step 1 – Prepare the pie dish. Cut a circle out of a sheet of pastry dough, just a little bit larger than the diameter of the pie dish, so the dough also covers the sides. Transfer the dough into the pie dish and lightly press the dough against the bottom and sides. Grease the dish with melted butter.
Place the dish in the refrigerator until needed.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 2 – Cut the apple in half and take the core, stem and stamen, out of the center of the apple. Slice the apple very thinly. If you have a mandoline, use that. Don’t slice it too thin, as you need to be able to roll it. Don’t slice it too thick, as that may make rolling it difficult. Try 1/16 – 1/8 inch thickness.
Place all slices in a bowl, add lemon juice, light brown sugar and salt and heat on high for 1 minute in a microwave. The apple slices should become pliable. If not heat a little longer.
Transfer slices to a sieve and allow to drain and cool.
Step 3 – Mix apricot preserve with the cinnamon and ‘smear’ this out cover the bottom of the pie dish.
Step 4 – This is the time-consuming step. Each rose consists of 3 half slices of apple. Line these 3 slices up, the peel facing the same side, each slice overlapping the next on the short end, so you have a long skinny row of 3 slices. Roll them up, starting with the bottom slice towards the top slice. Voila, you’ll have a rose!
Place the rose, peel side up in the pie dish on top of the dough. Continue until the pie dish is full.
Step 5 – Place the Apple Rose Tart in the oven (375 degrees F) and bake for 40-45 minutes.
Other simple apple desserts to try:
Like with many apple desserts you can make it even more festive by sprinkling this Apple Rose Tart for Two with powdered sugar, add a dollop of whipped cream of a scoop of ice cream.
Apple Rose Tart for Two
Ingredients
- 1-2 apple (NOTE 1)
- 1/2 lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon butter melted
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 sheet pastry dough thawed
- butter (to butter the pie dish) melted
- 1/2 tablespoon apricot preserves
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- On a lightly floured counter, roll pastry sheet just a little thinner. Cut a circle, just a little bigger than the diameter of a 5 inch ceramic pie dish. The dough has to also cover the sides of the pie dish. Butter the dish, place the dough into the dish and lightly press down. Cut off excess and place the dish in the fridge until you'll need it.
- Cut the apple in half and take the core, stem and stamen out. (NOTE 2)
- Slice the apple very thin. Slice from top to bottom, so you get half slices or slice side to side and cut the slices in half. If you have a mandoline, use that as that produces a consistent thickness. (NOTE 3)
- Transfer the slices to a bowl and add lemon juice to avoid browning of the apple.
- Add the sugar and salt and mix carefully. Make sure all slices are covered with the mix.
- Place the bowl in a microwave and heat for 1-2 minutes on high heat. Check after one minute. When the slices are pliable you're done, if not heat a little longer. Transfer slices to a sieve or colander, allow to drain and cool.
- Mix the apricot preserves with the cinnamon and smear/brush the bottom of the puff pastry with it.
- Line up 3 half slices of apple, overlapping on the short side and roll them up. Place your first 'rose' onto the puff pastry, against the wall of the pie dish.
- Continue making roses until your tart is full. If any gaps are showing, fill this up with apple slices.
- Place the Apple Rose Tart for Two in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. The pastry dough turned brown and flaky.
- Transfer the dish onto a rack and cool. As soon as you can, take the tart out of the pie dish and cool further on a wire rack.
- Cut in half and serve.
Notes
- Select a juice apple with a nice colored skin. I used Honey Crisp. In order to core an apple, I always use a melon baller. Its a handy little kitchen too.
- The stamen of the apple (also called calyx) is the blossom end of the apple, opposite the stem.
- The thickness of the apple slices are important. Paper thin is too thin. You’ll need to see some skin, about 1/16 of an inch. If you don’t have a mandoline, cut with a knife and try to cut to a uniform thickness.
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