INDIVIDUAL APPLE TART

Steps:

• Roll the pastry out into a circle, about 6 1/2 inches in diameter, and place it on a baking sheet. To measure the circle precisely and trim it, put a plate, approximately 6 inches in diameter, on top, and then cut with a sharp knife all around the circumference and remove excess dough to make a neat circle. Dip a pastry brush into the jam or jelly, and paint the bottom of the dough, leaving a 1/4-inch edge unpainted all around. Quarter the apple, peel and core it, and cut it into fairly thin slices. Arrange the slices overlapping in a circle all around the pastry round, leaving the 1/4-inch border, and then arrange the remaining slices in the center of the dough. Sprinkle up to 2 teaspoons of sugar on top, using more or less according to how tart your apples are. Place on a baking sheet, and bake in a preheated 425° oven for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 375° and bake 20 more minutes. Eat it while warm.
• Individual fruit tarts can be made the same way with rhubarb and pears. I prefer to use berries such as strawberries and raspberries raw in a tart, so I simply pre-bake the painted circle of dough, pricking the bottom first, for about 20 minutes at 425°, then, when the crust is cool, I arrange the berries on top. Gooseberries, however, are best cooked in the tart and need three times the amount of sugar.