Tarte aux coings, pommes et poires

I love this simple apple tart...it's the American pie's lighter French cousin. The crust is a layer of thin puff pastry, pâte brisée, then a thin layer of quince jam, followed by a layer of very thin slices of apples and a pear. I used about half a stick of butter or 4.5 tablespoons to make the tart.

It's a delicious treat, very light and not too sweet. I often have this with tea, or just straight out of the oven. Usually I make this tart with different varieties of apples, but today I had some Williams pears, so I added one for a hint of pear deliciousness. A tart worth making from scratch.

INGREDIENTS for one tart

• 1 recipe for pâte brisée 
• 3 - 5 apples (today I made it with Royal Gala apples, but sometimes with Granny Smith, or Golden Delicious, Pink Lady or a mixture of a bunch of different apple varieties)
• 1 pear (today I used Poire Williams Green variety)
• 4 tablespoons coing paste, jam or jelly. Coing is French for quince
• Granulated sugar (for dusting top of tart)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make the crust using the recipe for pâte brisée.
2. While the crust is baking, peel and cut the apples and pears into thin slices (about 1/8" thin).
3. When the crust is done, while still warm, spread on the coing paste or jam, applying a think layer all over the bottom of the crust.
4. Arrange the sliced apples and pears in a concentric circle.
5. Dust the tart with granulated sugar, applying a very thin layer (the sugar will aid in caramelization).
6. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 175C (350F).
7. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream, or mango sorbet (made locally in the Haute Savoie).