Ooh la la. Welcome to the world of the French. Tu parle francais?
I love this apple tart. It's delicious. And yes, I am EXTREMELY modest.
In other matters, don't you get irritated by leftover pastry? Don't you wish you could get out of the cycle of freezing leftovers that you'll probably forget about anyway. DO NOT FEAR! I have a solution!
I decided to make some impressive (if I do say so myself) decorations.
Easy, beautiful and resourceful. What's not to have?
For the leaves:
Cut out some rolled out pastry using a circular cookie cutter or glass. Then, cut into the circle again, but only using a section of the cutter. Then, using a butter knife or modelling tool, make an impression down the middle of the leaf and on either side at an angle. The finished product should look like this:
For the braids:
Cut the rolled pastry into long strips of equal width. Braid the pastry in threes and stick the ends together with a dab of water. The finished product should look like this:
So, you see, I have saved you from the depths of freezer despair!
Lol I'm weird. :D
Tarte aux pommes
This apple tart is simple to make with no real technical difficulty. If you don't like cinnamon, omit cinnamon. If you don't want to spend time arranging the apples, just pour them in. It's very forgiving as a recipe.
Ingredients!
For the pastry:
1 cup(125g) plain or all-purpose flour
1/3 cup(55g) butter, extremely cold
Ice water
For the apples:
7 apples, of your choice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tbls butter
1 tbls sugar
Splash of water
For the syrup:
2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
2 tbls maple syrup
2 tsp butter
Method
Preheat the oven to 180c/375f
Cut the butter into small blocks with a metal knife. Rub it into the flour in a large glass bowl, being careful not to overwork it. You should still be able to see little bits of butter. Alternatively, you could blitz it up for a few seconds in a food processor and slowly stream in the water. If not, once the butter is rubbed in, add the water a tablespoon at a time and mix in with a knife until a cohesive dough has formed. It does take a bit of practice though, and you might need to add a bit of flour or water to even it out. Don't stress though- it becomes as natural as riding a bike or typing!
Tip it out onto some cling film and wrap it up. Pat it into a disk and put it into the fridge whilst you make the filling.
Next, cut each apple into 8 wedges and add them to a bowl with a few splashes of lemon juice to prevent oxidisation. After all the apples are cut, rinse them off and add them to a saucepan with the rest of the ingredients. Set aside.
Roll out the pastry on a cold, floured surface. Try to make it as even as possible and make sure it doesn't stick by rotating it and flouring the rolling pin. Roll it to your desired thickness (preferably as thin as you can get it without tearing)- but to check it is big enough, place the tart tin in the middle, use your fingers to measure the height of the sides and make sure it is the size of the tin's bottom and the height of the sides all around. Roll it onto you rolling pin and gently lift it and onto and over the tart tin. Let go and carefully use your fingers to prod the pastry into the edges. Then trim the excess with a knife. If any cracks, rips or tears appear, patch it over with leftover pastry. Any more can be used to make the aforementioned decorations.
Next, put the apples on medium heat whilst you finish the pastry. Switch it off and leave to cool after the butter has melted, the sugar has dissolved and they have cooked a little, about 5 mins.
Cover the pastry in baking paper or foil and pour in your weight for the blind baking. Put it in the oven as so for 15 mins as is, then brush it with egg or milk and put it in for another 15 mins, ensuring that it doesn't burn. While the pastry bakes, make the cinnamon syrup. Add everything except the butter to a saucepan and stir thoroughly. After 1 minute add the butter. Simmer for another 30 seconds and switch off.
Remove the tart and layer the apples in a spiral pattern or just tip them in and smooth the top. Pour over the syrup and add any decorations. Put a foil ring around the pastry's edge to avoid burning and place in the oven for 10 mins or until the decorations are lightly browned. You do not need the foil ring if you have the braid on the edge.
Serve with good vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, liquid cream, creme fraiche, cinnamon syrup or anything of your choice.
Enjoy!
Posted with Blogsy
