Instead of making your tried-and-true apple pie recipe for your next fall gathering, you may want to get a bit creative and experiment with an elegant apple tart instead. Although this dessert looks fancy, there are a number of different ways to cater it to all different levels of baking expertise. Here are three tasty tarts to try this weekend.

French Apple Tart [foodnetwork.com]
Nothing compares to the art of French baking, and this gorgeous apple tart is proof of just that. Ina Garten tops her usual light, fluffy pastry crust with a layer of Granny Smith apples and bakes it to perfection to create a simple tart with a truly unique flavor.

Rustic Apple Tart [foodandwine.com]
If you want to create a tasty tart but don’t have much patience when it comes to baking, this is the tart for you. The crust is perfectly flaky and doesn’t require hours of chilling like many pie crusts do, and the layer of apricot preserves creates an unexpected flavor to complement the apples.

Apple Tart with Caramel Sauce [epicurious.com]
Although many tarts are light and simple, this recipe uses warm caramel and a sturdy pie crust to create a more dense, filling dessert. Browning the apples in the oven also gives it a caramelized flavor that is ideal for fall.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/cookbookman17

If you’re looking for a fun, year-round activity that the whole family will enjoy, a visit to the Houston Zoo is a dependable choice. This spacious zoo is well laid out to create an enjoyable walking route through all of the various animals’ areas, and it offers a close-up look at everything from the creepy, crawly reptiles to the large elephants and giraffes. The paved paths are lined with shady trees and greenery to make a hot Texas afternoon a bit more bearable (no pun intended), and there are a number of indoor animal houses that enable you to tour the zoo even during bad weather.

If you have small children, the Houston Zoo also features a Kids’ Zoo that includes a petting zoo, animal-themed play areas, and playful sea otters that always seem to put on a show of their own.

The Houston Zoo is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Free parking is available on Hermann Park Drive, but note that these free lots fill up quickly!

Houston Zoo
6200 Hermann Park Drive
Houston, TX 77030
(713) 533-6500
www.houstonzoo.org
www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g56003-d266874-Reviews-Houston_Zoo-Houston_Texas.html

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Roger Ahlbrand

Classic Czech kolaches start with the basics at Olde Towne Kolaches & Bakery: eggs, butter, and no preservatives. Bakers shape the handcrafted dough into pillowy pastries and fill them with a healthy dollop of fruit filling. Apple, peach, cherry apricot, and poppy seed are all available.

Bakers don't stop at traditional kolaches, though. They also craft a new type of baked good: the Tex-Czech kolache. Unlike the sweet Czech pastries, Tex-Czech kolaches come filled with ingredients like bacon, ham, sausage, beef chicken, eggs, and even jalapenos. Customers are welcome to grab just a few of the small kolaches, but they can also stock up with a couple dozen and take them home for a party or gathering.

If you aren't up for a kolache of any sort, try one of Olde Towne Kolaches & Bakery's other decadent treats. From gooey cinnamon rolls and fruit strudels to pecan sticky buns and scones, Olde Towne Kolaches & Bakery has its customers covered.

Olde Towne Kolaches & Bakery
8821 Westheimer Road
Houston, TX 77063-3625
(713) 781-7155
www.otkbakery.com
www.yelp.com/biz/olde-towne-kolaches-and-bakery-houston

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/kalleboo