Caxton magazines staffHaving catered for the likes of Prince William, bespoke caterer Tamara Le Pine-Williams of Salle a Manger (011 784 8334) knows how to make all her guests feel like VIPs whenever she entertains
INGREDIENTS
For the pastry:
250g cake flour, sifted
125g unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
pinch salt
1 egg
15ml ice-cold water
For the apples and apple brandy butter:
8 green apples
15ml butter
¼ of a lemon, juiced
15ml caster sugar
15ml Calvados
For the custard:
150ml thick cream
1 egg
50g caster sugar
30ml granulated sugar
To glaze:
45ml smooth apricot
jam, melted
To serve:
icing sugar
whipped cream
finely-grated zest of 1 orange
METHOD
1. To make the pastry: put the sifted flour, cold butter and salt into a food processor and process until it resembles fine sand. Add the egg and a dash of water and work again until the mixture comes together. Take the mixture out and roll it briefly by hand to form a ball. Tear off two large sheets of clingfilm and flatten the pastry between them. Chill in the fridge for ½ an hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
3. Remove the pastry from the fridge and while it’s still in the clingfilm, roll it out until it is about 2mm thick. Grease and flour a 22cm tart tin that has a removable base and line it with the pastry. Pass the rolling pin over the excess that comes over the edge and press it gently inside the tin leaving it slightly raised – this helps to prevent the pastry from shrinking too much when cooking. Prick the pastry all over and transfer the tin onto a baking tray.
4. To prepare the apples and make the apple brandy butter: peel and core the apples and cut into fairly wide wedges. Melt the butter, lemon juice, sugar and Calvados together in a small pan to form a glaze. Arrange the apple slices in the base of the tart case following the curve and into the middle. Paint the apples with the apple brandy butter glaze and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 200°C and cook for a further 20 minutes.
5. While the tart is baking make the custard: whisk the cream, egg and caster sugar together. Remove the tart from the oven, sprinkle with the granulated sugar and pour the whisked custard over the top. Bake for a further 10 minutes.
6. Before serving, allow the tart to stand for at least an hour to set. Remove the ring and coat the tart with the jam glaze. Dust it with a little icing sugar and serve with the whipped cream topped with orange zest.
This recipe serves 8 – 10.
