Pie Day becomes Tart Day

Today,  January 23, is National Pie Day. It was created by the American Pie Council. The American Pie Celebration began in 1986 to commemorate Crisco's 75th anniversary of "serving foods to families everywhere." I had every intention of baking a mile-high pie today.  My time management skills were severely lacking today so a pie became a simple tart.

Once I realized that the pie was a no-go I quickly thawed out a couple of sheets of puff pastry.  I don't know why Pepperidge Farm doesn't package their pastry sheets in flat package because it is a total pain to unfold them, and they are always getting stuck together.  Out came the rolling pin and I quickly repaired the damage.  To make the little tarts I simply used a circle cutter and made 6 circles out of each sheet.  I placed then on a Silpat so that they would be not stick to the pan.


I then layered apples over the top in a circular pattern.  I decided to use a spice that I picked up in Australia called Mixed Spice.  It is a blend of cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg.  After sprinkling a little of the spice on each tart I put them in the oven for about 20 minutes.  The pastry puffs up and cooks to golden brown, and the apples soften slightly.  Once they came out of the oven I heated up a little marmalade in the microwave and brushed it over the top as a glaze.  You could also use apricot or pineapple preserves with similar results.


This is such a quick and easy dessert to make.  Little effort and big reward.  I topped it off with a scoop of Salted Caramel Ice Cream and we were all very happy campers.

Spiced Apple Tarts

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 box of puff pastry (containing 2 sheets), thawed
• 2 apples, peeled and quartered, and cut in thin slices
• 2 teaspoons mixed spice (or cinnamon)
• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Cut puff pastry sheets into 12 circles and place on baking sheets.
3. Layer apples on pastry in a circular pattern.
4. Sprinkle the tops of the tarts with a small amount of spice.
5. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until pastry is golden and apples are tender.
6. Place marmalade in a bowl and heat for 20 seconds in the microwave.
7. Brush marmalade over the tops of the apple tarts.
8. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.