Apple Jalousie with Marsala Mascarpone Cream
You will be amazed at the simplicity and taste of this fresh fruit tart. Baking the apples concentrates their flavor and the easy as pie filling comes straight from a jar of apricot preserves. No worries about making pastry as frozen puff pastry comes to the rescue and forms the base for this impressive, yet oh, so easy dessert. Don’t resist the urge to cut and serve this magnificent tart at the table. It’s just so pretty when dolloped with the sinful mascarpone cream.
It’s that easy: I really cannot bake without parchment paper. Not only does it keep the clean up to a minimum, but it keeps food from sticking to the pan, keeping it intact for serving.
Apple Jalousie with Marsala Mascarpone Cream
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 2 tablespoons
- Salt
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed but well chilled
- 1/2 cup apricot preserves
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons marsala wine
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- Confectioner’s sugar for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Arrange the apple slices on parchment lined sheet pans in one layer. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup sugar over them along with a few sprinkles of salt. Bake the apples in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until tender and slightly dried out. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Transfer one of the pastries to a parchment lined sheet pan, you can use the same one as the apples. Spread the preserves over the pastry leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Arrange the baked apples on top of the preserves. Refrigerate while rolling out the top.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the other pastry slightly to make it about 1-inch larger on all sides. Fold one long side over in half and with a sharp knife make 2-inch cuts on the folded side about 1-inch apart. Open the pastry and transfer to the top of the tart. Fold the top edges under the bottom edges and press with the tines of a fork to seal.
- Brush the top of the pastry with the milk and sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over the top. Bake in the lower third of the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the tart is browned on the top and the bottom is crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
- While the tart bakes, or earlier in the day, combine the mascarpone, brown sugar, marsala and vanilla. Keep refrigerated.
- Serve the warm tart with a dollop of the mascarpone cream. Add a few tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar to a small sieve and sprinkle the sugar over the tart as garnish if desired.
Make-ahead: The tart can be assembled and kept covered and refrigerated for up to 4 hours. It can be baked and kept at room temperature for up to 8 hours. The mascarpone cream can be made up to 1 day ahead, kept covered and refrigerated.
