Jamie Oliver Apple Tart

Jamie Oliver’s apple tart is a rustic French-style tart of thinly sliced apples glazed with apricot jam on a sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry, scattered with almonds. It serves 8 and takes 50 minutes.

In 5 Ingredients Mediterranean (2023) he models it on the little tartelettes in French pâtisseries, but keeps it easy with shop-bought pastry. It’s mostly an assembly job: the apricot jam does double duty as both the glue that holds the apples and the glossy glaze.

The step that makes it look the part is the slicing. Cut the apples as finely as you can, ideally on a mandolin, then layer them in overlapping rows, tucking any tattier bits underneath. Thin, even slices cook through and fan out prettily rather than staying raw and clumsy.

Jamie Oliver Apple Tart

Recipe by Pinch Perfect

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

262

kcal

Total time

50

minutes

Jamie’s five-ingredient dessert from 5 Ingredients Mediterranean: finely sliced apples glazed in apricot jam on ready-rolled puff pastry, scattered with almonds and served with vanilla ice cream. Serves eight.

Ingredients

• 320g sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry (cold)

• 200g apricot jam

• 4 eating apples

• 1 tablespoon flaked almonds

• vanilla ice cream, to serve

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Directions

• Score the pastry:Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Unroll the pastry on its paper onto a baking tray, then score a 1cm border around the edge, without cutting all the way through.
• Loosen the jam:Heat the apricot jam in a pan over low heat for 30 seconds to loosen it, stirring occasionally.
• Slice the apples:Very finely slice the apples into rounds, discarding any pips. Use a mandolin with a guard if you have one.
• Assemble:Toss the apple with the apricot jam and arrange it in neat layers inside the border, hiding any smaller, tattier bits underneath.
• Bake:Cook at the bottom of the oven for 30 minutes, until golden and cooked through, scattering over the almonds for the last 5 minutes. Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream.

FAQs

Why score a border around the pastry?

Scoring a line about 1cm in from the edge, without cutting through, creates a frame. As the tart bakes, that outer strip puffs up into a golden raised rim while the scored centre stays flatter, giving you a neat wall to hold the apples and a professional-looking finish.

Don’t cut all the way down, or the border separates and the filling escapes. Just press the tip of a knife in to mark the line. Keeping the apples inside that border also stops the jammy juices running off the edge of the pastry as it cooks.

Why apricot jam specifically?

Apricot jam is the classic pâtisserie glaze for fruit tarts because it’s mild, sweet and golden, so it makes the apples glossy and sticky without adding a competing flavour. Here it works twice: tossed with the raw apple to coat it, and again as the shine on the finished tart.

Warming it briefly loosens it into a spreadable, tossable consistency, just don’t let it boil. If you only have another jam, a smooth one like peach works, but avoid strongly flavoured or very seedy jams. Sieve out any big fruit lumps for the neatest glaze.

What apples should I use?

Use firm eating apples rather than cooking apples, which collapse into a purée. Varieties like Braeburn, Gala or Pink Lady hold their shape when sliced thin and roasted, and their natural sweetness suits a dessert like this. A little tartness, as in a Cox, is nice against the sweet jam.

Slicing them as thinly as possible is the key, so a mandolin really helps, always with the guard. Thin slices cook fully in the time and layer neatly. You can leave the skins on for colour and to save time, since they soften in the oven.

Do I need to peel the apples or use fresh pastry?

No need to peel, the thin skins soften and add a rosy edge to each slice. Just core them and discard the pips as you slice. Ready-rolled puff pastry is exactly what Jamie reaches for here, keeping the whole thing fuss-free, and it should go on cold so it puffs properly.

If you’d rather make it from scratch, a homemade base takes it up a level, and Jamie’s reliable sweet shortcrust pastry would give you a crisper, biscuity tart case instead of flaky puff. It’s a different texture, but a lovely one for a fruit tart.

How do I stop the bottom going soggy?

Baking on the bottom shelf of the oven is the trick, since it puts the pastry closest to the heat source so the base cooks and crisps before the apple juices can soak in. That direct heat from below is doing the same job as a preheated tray would.

Keeping the apples in a single, even layer rather than a thick pile helps too, as does not over-loading them with jam. If your tart still looks pale underneath, give it a few more minutes rather than pulling it early. A crisp base is the difference between a good tart and a soggy one.

What do I serve it with, and can I make it ahead?

Jamie tops it with vanilla ice cream, and that hot-tart, cold-ice-cream contrast is the whole joy of it. Warm custard, crème fraîche or a drizzle of extra warmed jam all work too. It’s best served warm, within an hour of baking, while the pastry is crisp.

You can prep ahead by slicing and assembling, then baking fresh, though sliced apple browns, so toss it well in the jam to slow that down. If you want a warm fruit pudding another day, there’s more on the Jamie Oliver recipes page.