Name: Apple Tarts with Vanilla Ice Cream
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 1/2 hr
Yield: Makes 12
Ingredients: 6 Gala apples (preferably red; 2 3/4 pounds); 1/2 cup water; 1/2 cup sugar; 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise; 1 (17 1/4-oz) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed; All-purpose flour for dusting; 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted; Accompaniment: vanilla ice cream; parchment paper

Image may contain Bakery Shop Food Pork Pastry and Dessert

Apple Tarts with Vanilla Ice CreamMatthew Hranek

Easily made with puff pastry, these light, thin apple tarts provide just the right amount of dessert. The skins get added to the syrupy glaze, enhancing the tarts with a bit of sweetness and the faintest blush of pink.

Cooks' notes:

•Tarts can be assembled (but not sprinkled with sugar or baked) 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Sprinkle apples with sugar just before baking.

•Tarts can be baked 4 hours ahead and kept, uncovered, at room temperature.

Recipe notes

Caramelized Onion Pasta

Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.

Béchamel Sauce

This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.

Butternut Squash–Kale Salad With Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Round out these autumn greens with tart pomegranate seeds, crunchy pepitas, and a shower of Parmesan.

Okonomiyaki Tater Tots

Crispy tots topped with savory-sweet sauce, mayonnaise, furikake, scallion, and katsuobushi.

Our Favorite French Onion Soup

Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.

Classic French Bouillabaisse With Rouille

This flexible recipe is all you need to bring this iconic Provençal seafood stew to your table.

Crème Anglaise

The silky French vanilla sauce that goes with everything.

Mascarpone Cheesecake

An extra-silky filling (no water bath needed!) and a smooth sour cream topping make this the ultimate cheesecake.