Rose and Apple Tart
Video : https://youtu.be/7f4dpz6nOjc With a little attention to detail this tart can look really “top end” and contemporary yet the most important fact is that it tastes delightful. A great tart for the autumn when apples are fresh and plentiful. Using both baking apples and dessert apples enhanced with a little rosewater - a slice served slightly warm with a blob of fresh cream. What else makes for a perfect dessert ?
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
I am offering three options with the recipe. Double the pastry and make 12 deep filled tarts with roses, make a large tart with roses as shown or simplify things by making the tart and decorating with thinly sliced apples. Whichever you choose you can glaze the apple slices whether they are roses or not with a little melted apricot jam with water.
You will need a 22cm loose bottomed flan tin x 2cm deep or a 12 hole deep muffin tin greased..
For the pastry (double this quantity if you make individual tarts)
6oz Plain flour
1 tbsp icing sugar
pinch salt
3oz chilled butter
3 tbsp beaten egg
For the filling (sufficient for either the large tart or 12 small ones)
1-2 red skinned eating apples
200g grated cooking apple (2-3 apples peeled, cored then freshly grated)
3 eggs
100g Caster sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon and half of the juice (the remainder of the juice is for the apple slices (see below)
1/2 tsp rosewater
For the glaze of the apples after baking –
1 tbsp apricot jam heated with 1 tbsp water
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Preparation
Roll out the pastry, line the tin then chill for 15 minutes before baking blind for 12-15 minutes at 200°C (Gas Mark 6, 400°F). Alternatively, using a 10cm cutter, line the muffin tin with the pastry and chill before baking blind for 10-12 minutes. Save pastry trimmings to cut out leaves and flowers if you wish. Remove the tart case from the oven, trim the edges then brush the inside with beaten egg and pop back into the oven for 2-3 minutes. Take from the oven and set aside. If making the individual tarts I bake blind using a mini paper tart case to line the cases, fill right to the top with lentils then bake for 10 minutes – allow to cool slightly then life out the cases and lentils. After baking blind reduce the temperature to 180°C (Gas Mark 4, 355°F).
To make the filling – beat together the eggs and caster sugar then add the zest and juice of the lemon plus the rosewater. Freshly grate the cooking apple and pop it straight into the mixture so that it doesn’t turn brown.
To prepare the apple decorations : – either – finely slice the dessert apples, removing the core but retaining the red/pink skins and popping them directly into a small bowl containing the juice of the other half of the lemon and sufficient water to cover.
Alternatively, if you want to try the apple roses – slice the apple very thinly and place in a small pan with 200ml water and 2 tsp sugar with the juice of half of the lemon. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes just sufficient to soften the apple. Strain and allow to cool.
The apple slices can then be moulded and I use a mini muffin case in a muffin pan to help support the apple roses as I shape them. Brush with a little egg white, brushing down the sides of the petals then after carefully forming the roses bake (in the bun cases) for just 5 minutes so that they set in their form. The oven temperature set at 180°C (Gas Mark 4, 355°F).
When ready to bake the tart – transfer the filling into the pastry tart (or tarts) and pop into the oven at 180°C (Gas Mark 4, 355°F). If you are decorating with slices of apple, place these around the edges of the tart at the outset and bake for 30 minutes until set. If you are wanting to decorate with the roses then bake the tart for 18 minutes until the filling is almost set then remove from the oven, add the roses and pastry leaves and flowers and pop back into the oven for another 12-15 minutes. Baking times for the individual tarts are less – just 16 minutes, then add the roses and a further 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Brush the apples with the apricot glaze and/or a dusting of icing sugar.
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