This year one thing I am going to strive for is the return of Sunday dinner.
Having had 2 weeks off over the Christmas holidays both Tim and I have been dreading the return to our day jobs. The last few days we have spent way too much time feeling sorry for ourselves for having to go to back to work, when it suddenly struck me that we really needed to adjust our attitude.
Instead of complaining about going back to work we really needed to be rejoicing in the fact we have good paying jobs to return to.
When we got to talking about it a bit more, we realized that what we really needed to be doing is to spending the time we are not at work doing things that bring us joy. We need to get back to making the most of our leisure time.
Hence my goal of planning a special Sunday dinner. Whether it is just Tim and I or a whole table full of friends and family, sitting down for dinner on Sunday brings me joy!
Of course that means a delicious dessert to end the meal is a must!
When I signed up for a baking class at our local community college a few years ago, the one thing I was most intimidated by was puff pastry. I had heard it was a tedious process involving butter, lots of rolling, folding and measuring. Well, imagine my surprise when it turned out to be one of my favorite!
I don’t always have the time to make puff pastry from scratch as was the case with this Caramelized Apple Puff Pastry, I often will use the pre-made pastry found in the freezer section of the grocery store.
This simple, yet show stopping crispy apple puff pastry tart takes only 4 ingredients and the result is a bakery quality caramelized tart. Adapted from a recipe by James Patterson, it takes about 20 minutes of prep time and then after filling the house with that sweet caramel apple aroma for about 50 minutes it is ready to enjoy!
Going into the oven…….
……and out of the oven!
Sunday dinner doesn’t have to be fancy at all. In fact, one of my favorite’s is this Sweet and Sour Steak that I make in the slow cooker. Just add family & friends around the table and a sweet dessert and I am ready to face Monday morning feeling relaxed.
Especially if I can get somebody else to do the dishes!
I challenge you to bring back Sunday dinner at your house! Remember, it doesn’t have to be fancy, just gather some family or friends and make sure you have a sweet dessert to finish it off. What do you think? Are you willing to give it a try?
Until next time….
Maureen
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough (thawed)
- 4 to 5 large McIntosh (or other baking) apples of your choice
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup cold butter, sliced thin
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- Sprinkle bottom of a large rimmed baking sheet with cold water to protect the bottom of the tart from burning.
- Roll the dough to about 12 by 15 inches and transfer to the baking sheet. Trim dough to about 11 by 14 inches and poke it all over with a fork to prevent it from puffing up too much in the oven.
- Peel, core and slice the apples thinly. Arrange over the prepared dough in four long rows.
- Sprinkle the entire tart evenly with the granulated sugar and then arrange sliced butter over the top.
- Bake for 20 minutes and then check to ensure the tart hasn’t puffed to the point where it is pushing the apples off. If this happens, simply poke the dough with a sharp knife to deflate and using the knife, carefully arrange apples back onto the tart.
- Continue baking for an additional 30 minutes, checking every once in awhile for excess puffing and rearrange apples if necessary. Remove from oven when the edges are a deep golden brown.
- Slide a large metal spatula under the tart to loosen and then slice into squares and serve.
Jan says
Hi Maureen,
I’ve been up for hours already listening to the neighbourhood’s back-to-work, back-to-school noises and wishing I was a part of it. I’m an elementary teacher but have been off work for 6 weeks already due to foot surgery and have 2 more months before I’m allowed to go back to work. My house backs onto an elementary school Iand is sided by a high school. It’s been killing me having to listen to the staff and students arrive each day. I regularly count my blessings for having a job I love so much. The stress at times just about does me in but how lucky am I to have a job I love and be well-paid at that??
I can’t weight bear on my right foot so I’m using crutches to get around (and not doing a great job at that!). A retired friend drove me to school on the last day before the break so I could see ‘my kids’. What a special treat for me! Yes, I’ve got plenty to be grateful for in my life but like you, I’m more and more realizing that the good moments in life come from our relationships with family and friends. Today is a special day for me as my oldest daughter just flew in from Calgary earlier this morning to spend a couple of days visiting here. Yeah! The apple tart looks ‘delish’ and I’m pretty sure I could manage to put it together while sitting on a stool. That is, if I can get someone to run by the store to pick up some puff pastry. The sweet and sour dish is definitely one I’ll make too. I’ll prepare the ingredients for the full recipe but only cook half the ingredients, bagging and freezing the other half for another day. There’s just 2 of us at home now so I’m still trying to learn to cook for just 2, instead of 5 people. (Think ‘old dog, new tricks’).
I hope you have a great day today!
Jan
Maureen says
So glad you get to have a visit with your daughter, and I hope you are back on your feet real soon! It is funny how much we take for granted when we have the use of all our extremities! Love the idea of bagging up and freezing half the recipe 🙂
Sally Gee says
Could you please print your puff pastry recipe? Thanks!
Maureen says
I plan to make a batch this weekend and will post it next week!