Hot Apple Tart

Serves 4

Ingredients:
9 ounces puff pasty
16 apples
4 teaspoons superfine sugar
2 vanilla beans
9 ounces unsalted butter, divided, room temperature

Method of Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking pan with parchment.
2. Roll out the puff pastry to 1/8-inch thick.  Using a 4½ inch cutter cut out 4 circles. Transfer to baking pan and place in the refrigerator 10 minutes.
3. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla beans and mix into 5 ounces of the butter; set aside.  Melt the remaining 4 ounces of butter; set aside.
4. Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples.
5. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and gently prick the surface all over with a fork.
6. Dividing evenly, arrange the apple slices decoratively over the puff pastry rounds.  Lightly brush the apples with the melted butter.  Sprinkle each tart with a teaspoon of sugar.
7. Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove pan from oven, brush each tart with some of the vanilla butter and return to oven for another 8-10 minutes.  Remove from the oven, brush again with the remaining vanilla butter.  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Cooking with Class airs on NBC 10 and is hosted by Chef Frank Terranova, an associate instructor at Johnson & Wales University.