Apple Puff Pastry Tart

Yes, I made more dessert two days after the pecanless pie. To my defense, though, the dessert was not for me. Saturday was Chuseok/Chusok (Thanksgiving Day) in (most?) Asian countries. My friend from Korea told me that she and another Korean friend would be celebrating this special day at the library where we were going to study. They were both planning on bringing traditional, Korean dishes, So, I told her that I would bring dessert.
I started doing a search on the internet for Korean desserts, but almost all of them involved glutinous rice, rice or malt powder, and other ingredients I didn't have. So, I decided to pull out my leftover puff pastry from the freezer and put it in the refrigerator to defrost until the next morning and make apple puff pastry tarts.

I woke up around 11 something, prepared the apples, cut the block of dough in half, and rolled out each piece one at a time and chilled the other. I had to have everything ready by 12:30, which was the time she was going to pick me up. By the time I finished baking both tarts, it was 12:35. She called me, and I told her I needed 10 more minutes. Why did I need more time when I was done baking? Because I needed to take photos for the blog! :) I took the photos during a cloudy, dreary day. That is one of the reasons the photos don't look so great. Oh well. At least I have proof that I made this scrumptious dish.
My friends were very impressed with the dish. I was proud to not have to use store-bought puff pastry, even though this dough came from my failed attempt (the one with too much butter). That is why it didn't puff up as nicely. Despite that mistake, the pastry was great. I ate only a small piece because I'm so tired of puff pastry. I gave the rest to them, and I had made a lot for two people (one large and one medium-sized one). They happily accepted my offer, too.

The large version with two columns of apple slices

I also took my first bite of Korean food, and I'm very selective about new foods (and I consider myself a xenophile). I liked one of the noodle dishes called japchae, but I was not crazy about these rolls, called gimbap, that looked like sushi (I've never had sushi either!). I also ate half of a songpyeon, which I didn't like because the rice part was not sweet, and it was too sticky. I'm all about a good texture when it comes to food. It took me about 5 to 10 minutes to muster up the courage to eat every new item I tried haha. Fortunately, my friends were very patient and understanding.
Anyway, if you other Daring Bakers need another dish to use up your leftover puff pastry, try out this simple, quick recipe. I had it memorized after looking over it one time. I got it from Pioneer Woman, so you can see detailed photos on her site. My changes: I added cinnamon, nutmeg and more lemon to my filling.

CHUSEOK CHAL BONNESEYO!

Apple Tart
adapted by Pioneer Woman

1-2 sheets of puff pastry (homemade or store-bought)
3-4 apples (I used 3 small granny smith apples and still had some leftover after making 1 large and 1 medium-sized tarts)
1/2-1 lemon
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Make the filling first so that the puff pastry does not get too warm. Core the apples with a pairing knife or a corer. Slice the apples in half. With the half face down, cut thin slices. (Next time, I will peel the skin to make it look prettier and to make it easier to eat.) Squeeze 1/2 of to a whole lemon over the apples, and mix them around (prevents browning and adds flavor). Add the brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir the mixture, and allow it to sit while you prepare the dough.

Take the homemade dough* out of the refrigerator (Make sure you defrost it in the refrigerator one day before using it for this dish). If you have a big block of dough, cut it in half, and put one-half (wrapped) back in the refrigerator while you roll out the other half to 1/4-1/8 inch thick. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, shape the dough to your liking. You can make it big enough for two rows of apples or one. Then place the dough on a Silpat or parchment paper and a baking sheet BEFORE adding the apples (see photo below).

Place the apples in a row, overlapping each other, and then cover it. Place the baking sheet back in the refrigerator, and prepare the other piece of dough. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Once you are done with the second piece of dough, take out the first baking sheet, and place it in the oven for 18-20 minutes. Place the covered, second piece of dough in the refrigerator while the first one bakes. Repeat with the second one. Enjoy!

*For instructions on how to use the store-bought variety, visit Pioneer Woman's site.