This recipe for a simple looking apple tart is “how you say” full of French sophistication.  Nice for the hipster crowd and those who are all about the finer things in life.  Looks simple but fancy simple if that makes any sense.  Subtle sweetness makes it a nice option for late night dinners or even for afternoon (or high) tea.

Time:

About 60 to 90 minutes (including cooking)

Serves:

8

Good for:

• People coming for tea/afternoon- tea
• Vegetarian recipe
• Subtle sweet-tooth

Ingredients:

• 200g ready-made puff pastry
• 2 tbsp stewed apple, or sweet apple sauce
• 6 apples (Granny Smith), peeled, quartered and cored
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 40g butter, cubed
• 1 free-range egg yolk, beaten

      For the add-on cream:

• 250ml double cream
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out (you can use ½ tspn of vanilla extract as an alternative)

Kitchen things you’ll need:

• Flat shallow baking pan
• Rolling pin
• Cutting board and knife (to cube and cut the apples)
• Peeler (to peel the apples)
• 10in bowl or plate
• Small bowl for the cream
• A whisk

      Not must (but would be nice) items:

• Parchment paper
• A wire rack

Making it:

• Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C).
• Roll the puff pastry out to a large sheet, 3mm thick.
• Using a bowl or plate, cut a circle about 25cm/10in in diameter. Crimp the edge before turning the whole sheet over and laying it directly onto a flat baking tray. Chill in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.
• Remove the pastry from the fridge and spread the apple sauce all over the base of pastry, leaving a 1cm/½in border at the edge.
• Slice the apples the thickness of a two-pound coin and place them onto the pastry sheet, fanning them out, starting from the outside and working in. The apples should overlap each other. Use the largest slices on the outside and the smallest one in the middle of the tart.
• Once all the apples have been laid out, sprinkle over the caster sugar and dot with the cubed butter. Brush the border with the beaten egg and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until golden-brown and risen around the edge.
• For the add-on cream, whisk the double cream, icing sugar and vanilla in a bowl until very soft peaks form and set aside until ready to serve.
• When ready to serve, place the tart onto a serving plate with the cream on the side or top.

Tips/notes:

• You can add some cinnamon and/or nutmeg to the powdered sugar when you sprinkle on top.
• You can spray some lemon juice very lightly to give it some flavour depth (but don’t over do it – if you’re unsure keep it out).