Chinon Apple Tarts
Puff pastry, braeburn apples and red wine jelly come together in this French dessert — 105 minutes, 16 steps, and the kind of result worth repeating. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 16 steps.
You'll mainly reach for oven and grill / broiler. At involved difficulty across 16 steps, it's worth setting aside proper time for. As written, the ingredients are plant-based.
What you'll need
Shopping list (5)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
How to make it
- To make the red wine jelly, put the red wine, jam sugar, star anise, clove, cinnamon stick, allspice, split vanilla pod and seeds in a medium saucepan.
- Stir together, then heat gently to dissolve the sugar.
- Turn up the heat and boil for 20 mins until reduced and syrupy.
- Strain into a small, sterilised jam jar and leave to cool completely.
- Will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.
- Take the pastry out of the fridge and leave at room temperature for 10 mins, then unroll.
- Heat the grill to high and heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
- Cut out 2 x 13cm circles of pastry, using a plate as a guide, and place on a non-stick baking sheet.
- Sprinkle each circle with 1 tbsp sugar and grill for 5 mins to caramelise, watching carefully so that the sugar doesn’t burn.
- Remove from the grill.
- Can be done a few hours ahead, and left, covered, out of the fridge.
- Peel, quarter and core the apples, cut into 2mm-thin slices and arrange on top of the pastry.
- Sprinkle over the remaining sugar and pop in the oven for 20-25 mins until the pastry is cooked through and golden, and the apples are softened.
- Remove and allow to cool slightly.
- Warm 3 tbsp of the red wine jelly in a small pan over a low heat with 1 tsp water to make it a little more runny, then brush over the top of the tarts.
- Tip the crème fraîche into a bowl, sift over the icing sugar and cardamom, and mix together. Carefully lift the warm tarts onto serving plates and serve with the cardamom crème fraîche.
You'll use: Oven · Grill / broiler · Saucepan · Pan · Baking sheet
Watch how it's made
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Ingredient substitutions
- Red Wine
- beef stock + 1 tsp red wine vinegar · grape juice + vinegar
- Creme Fraiche
- sour cream · Greek yogurt
What to serve with Chinon Apple Tarts
- French Lentils With Garlic and Thyme Miscellaneous
- Coq au vin Chicken
- Pork Cassoulet Pork
- Tuna Nicoise Seafood
Tips & common questions
How long does Chinon Apple Tarts take to make?
About 105 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 16 steps and 7 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of red wine?
Try beef stock + 1 tsp red wine vinegar. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Chinon Apple Tarts vegan?
Based on its ingredients, this recipe contains no meat, fish, dairy or egg, so it looks vegan-friendly. Always double-check labels on packaged items.
Related recipes
Recipe data for Chinon Apple Tarts via TheMealDB (open database). ▶ Video. Original source. Consomee adds the scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.