Rosemary Apple Tarts

These Rosemary Apple Tarts are elegant comfort food. The earthy flavor of the rosemary compliments the apples and is a pleasant and unexpected change from the usual cinnamon flavored apple dessert.

These tarts are also easy to eat. You can pick them up and eat them with your hands or serve them on a pretty plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Rosemary Apple Tarts
(makes 6 individual tarts)

Crust
2 cups flour
2/3 cups shortening
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
cold water

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add the shortening and using your hands, break it up into small pea sized pieces.

Add the cold water, a few tablespoons at a time, until a soft dough forms. Try to handle the dough as little as possible.

Roll the dough on a floured board until it is about 1/4 of an inch thick. Using a cutter or a knife, cut into 6 6-inch rounds. Crimp the edges and set them on a parchment lined baking sheet.

I used a small baking pan to cut 6-inch rounds.

After crimping the edges, set the rounds on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Rosemary Sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2/3 cup sugar
In a bowl, combine the sugar and rosemary. Divide the sugar into three parts.

After mixing the fresh rosemary with the sugar, divide it into three equal parts.

To assemble:
2 medium sized apples, thinly sliced with the skin still on

Toss the apples with 1/3 of the sugar and set aside.

Toss 1/3 of the sugar with your thinly sliced apples.

Evenly sprinkle each pastry round with another 1/3 of the sugar.

Sprinkle 1/3 of the sugar evenly onto the pastry rounds.

Assemble a mound of sliced apples on each pastry round, 6 to 8 slices on each.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 of sugar on top of the tarts.

Sprinkle the final 1/3 of the sugar evenly over the apple topped pastry rounds.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tarts are golden brown and the apples are soft. Immediately transfer the tarts to a cooling rack and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Note: A scoop of vanilla ice cream would take these over the top!