Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17.3-ounce or 490g box)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3–4 medium red apples (Gala, Fuji)
• ⅓ cup (100g) apricot jam or preserves

PREHEAT OVEN to 400°F (200°C). Thaw puff pastry at room temperature for 45 minutes. You will need a jelly roll pan, about 12 x 16 inches (30 x 40cm).

CUT OUT a piece of parchment paper large enough to fit just inside the pan. Place the trimmed parchment on your counter.

WHEN THE PASTRY IS THAWED, sprinkle a little flour on the parchment paper and unroll the pastry on top. Use a rolling pin to roll the pastry until it is the exact size of the parchment paper (trim the pastry if necessary). After every few rolls of your rolling pin, lift the dough and sprinkle a little flour underneath it. Slide the dough and parchment paper onto the jelly roll pan. Use a fork to dot the dough with holes, leaving a one-inch border clear, without any holes. Put the pan in the freezer while you prepare the apples so that the moment the apples are sliced, everything else is ready to go, and the apples will not turn brown.

IN A SMALL BOWL, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Peel and core the apples and slice into very thin slices, thinner than 1/4-inch (6mm). (I usually use only the larger slices for the tart and nosh on the smaller ones.) Remove the dough from the freezer. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon and sugar on the dough, leaving the border clear. Place the apple slices on the pastry overlapping in rows down the short side of the dough. I alternate the direction the apples are facing for each row. Sprinkle the apples with the remaining cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the apples are soft and the pastry is golden.

HEAT THE APRICOT JAM in the microwave or on the stovetop and then use a sieve to strain out the large pieces. Use a pastry brush to brush the apple slices with the jam. Slide the pastry onto a cooling rack. Cut into squares or rectangles. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store covered at room temperature for up to two days.