Chef Michael’s Fall Apple Tart Recipe

• 1 sheet puff pastry (homemade or your favorite brand)
• Vegetable pan coating
• 1 egg, beaten
• 6 Tablespoons almond paste
• 1 1/2 Granny Smith apples
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Apple Pie Spice Mix (recipe below)
• Powdered sugar in shaker
• Optional: 1 cup Creme Anglaise (recipe in cookbooks)
• 6 scoops vanilla ice cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lay out the puff pastry dough and cut into six 3-inch circles (a scalloped 3-inch cutter works well).
3. Lightly coat a baking sheet with vegetable spray and lay the pastry circles on top. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and place 1 Tablespoon of almond paste in the center of each pastry round.
4. Cut the whole apple in half and core all three halves with a melon baller. Slice each apple half from top to bottom into very thin slices, keeping them together.
5. Separate each sliced apple half into two equal halves and spread out one equal half per pastry circle, leaving a border around the outside. If you start by laying down the cut side of the apple half first and fanning the rest on top, the apple will conform to the round shape of the pastry. One apple will make four tarts.
6. Mix together 2 Tablespoons sugar with 1/2 teaspoon Apple Pie Spice Mix and sprinkle an even coating on top of each tart.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes, or until golden brown.
8. Make a spiced creme Anglaise by combining the sauce with 1 teaspoon of the apple pie spice mix.

Serve on a plate dusted with powdered sugar, surrounded by a pool of spiced creme Anglaise and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.