Hunger Games Apple Tart

Thursday night I hosted our monthly book club hence my exhaustion last night.  We read the Hunger Games and while I won't get into the book, there were a lot of food references. This was perfect for someone who tried to theme the appetizers :)  There are SO many great websites out there for Hunger Games parties and book club ideas.  Instead of killing myself by making everything from scratch, I chose to make one homemade item and bought the rest of the food.  This kept the stress level in the house to a minimum plus most of the stress was trying to clean a house with 2 girls!!  Here's the food I had to make it simple:

Mellark Bakery Apple Tart- made homemade
District 11 Bread- found a whole grain bread full of seeds
"Petta" Chips and Hummus- bought :)
Sugar Berries/ Nightlock- bought fresh berries :)
Goat Cheese and Pine Nuts wrapped in Basil- wonderful dish brought by a friend. Thank You!

Pinterest Inspiration:

http://www.marthastewart.com/334356/apple-tart

My Results:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17.3 ounce package) thawed
All-purpose flour, for surface
1 large egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash
1/2 cup fresh or good-quality applesauce (Try to get a less watery sauce)
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into thin wedges
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sanding sugar, for sprinkling
2 tablespoons apricot preserves
1 tablespoon water
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Roll puff pastry into a 14-by-16-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.

3. Cut a 1-inch-wide strip from each side of dough.

4. Brush edges with egg wash, and top with cut strips to form a crust. 

5. Prick middle of dough all over with a fork. 

6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

7. While the dough is in the refrigerator, peel, core and slice apples.

8. Spread applesauce onto middle of dough using a spatula. 

9. Arrange apple wedges over applesauce in 3 tightly overlapping rows. 

10. Brush apples with melted butter. Brush crust with egg wash, and sprinkle entire surface with sanding sugar. (Unbaked tart can be frozen for up to 3 days.)

 

11. Bake until edges start to puff, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees, and bake, rotating halfway through, until pastry is dark golden brown and apples have caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes more. 

 

12. Transfer sheet to a wire rack, and let cool for 10 minutes.

13. Warm apricot preserves and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Brush apples with warm apricot preserves. 

Thursday night I hosted our monthly book club hence my exhaustion last night.  We read the Hunger Games and while I won't get into the book, there were a lot of food references. This was perfect for someone who tried to theme the appetizers :)  There are SO many great websites out there for Hunger Games parties and book club ideas.  Instead of killing myself by making everything from scratch, I chose to make one homemade item and bought the rest of the food.  This kept the stress level in the house to a minimum plus most of the stress was trying to clean a house with 2 girls!!  Here's the food I had to make it simple:

Mellark Bakery Apple Tart- made homemade
District 11 Bread- found a whole grain bread full of seeds
"Petta" Chips and Hummus- bought :)
Sugar Berries/ Nightlock- bought fresh berries :)
Goat Cheese and Pine Nuts wrapped in Basil- wonderful dish brought by a friend. Thank You!

Pinterest Inspiration:

http://www.marthastewart.com/334356/apple-tart

My Results:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17.3 ounce package) thawed
All-purpose flour, for surface
1 large egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash
1/2 cup fresh or good-quality applesauce (Try to get a less watery sauce)
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into thin wedges
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sanding sugar, for sprinkling
2 tablespoons apricot preserves
1 tablespoon water
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Roll puff pastry into a 14-by-16-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.

3. Cut a 1-inch-wide strip from each side of dough.

4. Brush edges with egg wash, and top with cut strips to form a crust. 

5. Prick middle of dough all over with a fork. 

6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

7. While the dough is in the refrigerator, peel, core and slice apples.

8. Spread applesauce onto middle of dough using a spatula. 

9. Arrange apple wedges over applesauce in 3 tightly overlapping rows. 

10. Brush apples with melted butter. Brush crust with egg wash, and sprinkle entire surface with sanding sugar. (Unbaked tart can be frozen for up to 3 days.)

 

11. Bake until edges start to puff, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees, and bake, rotating halfway through, until pastry is dark golden brown and apples have caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes more. 

 

12. Transfer sheet to a wire rack, and let cool for 10 minutes.

13. Warm apricot preserves and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Brush apples with warm apricot preserves.