By JENNIFER MATHEWS
Ina Garten's Go-To Trader Joe's Dessert Makes Entertaining Too Simple
Chef Ina Garten’s mantra "store-bought is fine" is a sentiment she has always echoed on her Food Network show, and on a 2022 "Today" show segment about simplifying holiday dinners.
On the show, Garten shared that she recently served a warm Trader Joe's French apple tart to her friends when hosting a dinner, and the dessert was "absolutely delicious."
Per Trader Joe's website, its French apple tart, which Garten pops in the oven just before her guests arrive, was created by a pastry chef who once made it for France’s president.
Unlike a traditional double-crust apple pie, this French apple tart is made with apricots, vanilla, Northern Spy, and Granny Smith apples laid out on a buttery shortbread crust.
The naked apples are arranged in a fan shape and glazed with apricot preserves to leave the exposed filling glossy. The 20-ounce tart, which feeds four people, is sold for $7.99.
Garten serves the warm tart a la mode with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. That said, Trader Joe's French apple tart isn't available year-round.
The popular grocery store sold its now-famous French apple tart around Thanksgiving last year, and we're crossing our fingers that it returns this year as well.