The Simple But Fancy Dessert Ina Garten Says She Can Make In Her Sleep

There’s just something about apple pie that makes my heart happy. The warm, spiced apples, the buttery crust—it’s perfection. And when I found out that Ina Garten, my all-time favorite food pro, has a simple apple dessert recipe, I knew it was going to be just perfect. Ina has a way of making classic dishes feel effortless, and if she says it’s good, I’m all in.

Ina's French Apple Tart is a dessert that skips the hassle of a double crust but still delivers all that cozy apple goodness. It’s the kind of dessert that looks fancy but is secretly so easy to throw together and I can already picture it coming out of my oven, filling the house with that unmistakable apple aroma.

She shared her recipe on the Food Network's TikTok page (@foodnetwork) and I am running out to buy some apples right now!

Related: How to Make the Best-Ever Stuffed Mushrooms, According to Ina Garten

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Why Ina Garten's French Apple Tart Is So Good

Ina said this French apple Tart is one of her favorite desserts.

"And the amazing thing about it is it looks really complicated, but it is so easy you won't believe it," she said in the video. I love an easy recipe that also has a wow factor—aka Ina's specialty.

She also said that she loves the "simplicity" of this dessert because it only involves apples and pastry.

She said you can use any apples for this recipe, but the best are crisp and tart so she uses Granny Smith. She cuts them in half and uses a melon baller to remove the centers. Then, she cuts each half into a quarter-inch thick slices.

She made a homemade pastry for her tart, which she admits sounds daunting (it really does, Ina), but she shows you how to make it in the video. It's a simple pie crust made with flour, salt, sugar and butter and it comes together in the food processor. If you don't want to do that, store-bought pastry is fine and will make this recipe even easier!

She rolls the pastry out with a rolling pin and places it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. She then shingles the apples on the pastry, going in a diagonal direction. She says you can place them any way you like, but I must admit that the diagonal lines do look fancier.

She sprinkles a half cup of sugar on top of the apples, then she tops the sugar with some small bits of butter. This doesn't have to be perfect or exact, but you do need to make sure you get enough butter throughout the bits of apple to help caramelize the sugar as the pastry bakes.

Once your butter is on the apples, bake the pastry at 450° for 45 minutes. If the edges burn in spots, that's ok! You want to make sure to bake the tart long enough that the fruit is tender and caramelized and the pastry is nice and crisp.

For the perfect finishing touch, Ina makes a super simple apricot glaze to brush over the tart after it comes out of the oven. To make it, all you do is heat the apricot glaze in a small pot and then add some Calvados (an apple brand) to thin things out. If you don't have Calvados, you can use regular brandy, bourbon, white wine or water. Heat the mixture until the jam melts and is thin enough to brush over the tart. Strain it into a bowl before brushing to remove the fruit piece from the jam.

Related: The Best Way To Make Oatmeal, According to Ina Garten

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Ways to Customize Ina Garten's French Apple Tart

You can use other fruits, like pears, as long as they are really firm, Ina says, and the next step in this dessert is where you can really make this your own.

For the perfect finishing touch, Ina makes a super simple apricot glaze to brush over the tart after it comes out of the oven. To make it, all you do is heat the apricot glaze in a small pot and then add some Calvados (an apple brand) to thin things out. If you don't have Calvados, you can use regular brandy, bourbon, white wine or water. Heat the mixture until the jam melts and is thin enough to brush over the tart. Strain it into a bowl before brushing to remove the fruit piece from the jam.

I can almost smell this masterpiece through my screen! I can't wait to give this recipe try!

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