Salted Caramel Apple Tartlet

I have always thought that I'm the type of person that gets bored way too easily. I think I just really enjoy change. However, I'm coming up on almost seven years of working at the same company (almost ten if you count the three years that I interned here) and I seem to be faring well. I always thought I'd flit from job to job, switching it up as soon as I got stuck in a rut but I'm still here!

I owe it all to blogging. Having this creative outlet and being my own boss is totally the opposite of what I do at work. At work, there's tons of structure, too many people to report to, and it's all math and numbers and science. My blogging world is food and art and travel. That whole yin yang thing is no joke. Balance is a serious necessity. Wow, thanks Captain Obvious (speaking to myself there).

Anyway, this is where I try to segue my random thoughts into the recipe I'm sharing. Well, when you're cooking all the time - like I am - sometimes, you need to take a little help from the store and go for something that's only partly homemade. If you always make complicated stuff, you'll get burnt out! So you know, just throw an easy dish together here and there. Was that an okay segue? Eh, I think I've definitely had better ones in the past.

Ingredients:

tart

1 apple, peeled & sliced

1 sheet puff pastry

3 tablespoons apricot jam

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon melted butter

caramel

¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons water

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons apple cider

This is going to be insanely easy and kind of embarrassing to even share. You're going to be like, "Uh, okay. That's it? Why did you even bother sharing?" Well, even if the recipe isn't that exciting, enjoy the food porn.

Peel and thinly slice the apples.

Grab a thawed puff pastry sheet, slap it onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, and dock it with a fork.

Grab some jam and slather it on.

Arrange the apples onto the pastry.

Grab some melted butter and brush it around the border of the puff pastry and right onto the apples.

Sprinkle the apples with a little sugar. Then, chuck the whole thing into a 400F for 20 minutes until the pastry is golden and the apples are soft.

While the tart is baking, work on a caramel sauce. Pour sugar, water, and salt into a saucepan and heat it over a medium heat, swirling occasionally, until it's a beautiful amber color.

Add the apple cider to the caramel.

Brush the caramel all over the still-hot tart.

The caramel will make the tart look amazing.

Let the tart cool and then dig in!

I don't really think I have to describe the taste of this tart to you, right? It's delicious baked apples on top of a buttery pastry with some jam and caramel. It's sweet and it's delightful. You'll like it.

Here's the recipe page: