Apple Tart: A Love Story

Love inspires us to do great things. It motivates us to summon up all our strength and creativity to make the world a better place and to make the lives of the ones we love more fulfilling.

I recently learned of the love story of Sam Farber and his wife Betsey, which inspired me to write this blog post and to make an apple tart for my apple-loving husband. 

Shortly after retiring from his job as an entrepreneur in the housewares industry, Sam was cooking with Betsey in their rented home in the South of France. As she peeled apples for a tart, he noticed how much pain the unwieldy ordinary peeler was causing her slightly arthritic hands. The more they cooked, the more inadequate all the kitchen tools felt and he began to question why many were often so uncomfortable to use. This inspired him to make a difference for her and, in 1989, he ended his retirement to launch OXO.

OXO is a company that designs products that can be comfortably used by almost everyone due to their thoughtful design and their signature ergonomic rubber handles. As their website states, they design for “young and old, female and male, lefties and righties, and many with special needs”. Sam called the company OXO (pronounced “Ox-Oh”) for it’s visual symmetry since it reads the same backwards, vertical and upside down. I like to think it means “hugs & kisses” since the company has such a nurturing beginning.

The peeler he designed then is the same peeler sold today and is the first OXO tool I ever bought. Its perfectly cushioned rubber body, along with its stainless steel blade, makes peeling vegetables and fruits incredibly easy. It’s no surprise that it’s one of my favorite kitchen tools and that I’ve stocked my parents’ and most of our friends’ homes with at least one.

Sam sadly passed away last June, leaving behind not only a commendable legacy of comfortable cooking tools but also a love story to remember that has benefited all of us OXO fans in one way or another.

His story was so moving that I couldn’t help but want to make my husband’s world a little better. Having started his own company, Tarah has been swamped with work and hasn’t been able to go home to Vermont. He’s been craving a visit to the local orchards where we often go apple picking. I wanted to bring a part of his home to him and, as an homage to Sam & Betsey’s story, I baked him this simple and crispy apple tart.

I used store bought puff pastry sheets since I’m still learning how to make my own crust. I topped the tart with pecans and served it with vanilla ice-cream and a side of Vermont maple syrup, for added sweetness.

oxo (hugs & kisses)
~ Anjali

NOTE: This post is not sponsored by OXO. My opinions are my own and I have not been compensated to write this story. I did, however, reach out to OXO for the photograph of Sam & Betsey, which they graciously sent me.

A printable list of ingredients and directions are at the end of this post,
along with an image of this Perfect Morsel.

Preheat oven to 415F. Thaw the pastry sheet if previously frozen. Gently unfold the pastry sheet and cut it in half. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in fridge for a few minutes.

Peel the apples and and cut in half.

Remove each apple core. Since I don’t have an apple corer, I carefully cut out the apple core using a sharp knife, making sure not to cut through the apple.

Thinly slice the apples and place them in a big bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice all over the apples. Add the sugar, cinnamon, salt to the bowl and gently stir. Allow the apple slices to sit for about 5 minutes to get a little juicy and syrupy.

Remove pastry sheets from fridge. Poke them all over with a fork. This allows for even puffing when baking the pastry sheet.

Place the apple slices, one by one, overlapping each other in one straight line on each pastry sheet half. Sprinkle the apple slices with the chopped pecans and small slices of butter.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the tarts for 18 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove the tarts since the sugar in the apples will make the tarts release a good amount of syrup.

Serve as is or with a side of vanilla ice-cream and maple syrup for added sweetness. Here’s a bite of the crispy, flaky puff pastry with layers of juicy apples and a piece of pecan. YUM!