There’s something magical about apples and lemon. When combined they create the most extraordinary, eloquent floral note. It’s hard to describe but it’s something I always love. I like to add some fresh thyme leaves to this tart because its savoury, green aroma complements apples and works so well in a sweet context. This tart is sensational served warm from the oven with double cream but can be equally delicious for breakfast the next morning with a nice hot cup of coffee.
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
- 1 large Bramley apple (about 400g), peeled, cored and diced
- 1 lemon, juice and ½ the zest
- 2 teaspoons tender thyme leaves
- 100g golden caster sugar
- 4-6 dessert apples (depending on size), peeled, cored and thinly sliced
For the rough-puff pastry
- 150g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
- 300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- Good pinch of salt
- About 100ml iced water
For the frangipane
- 75g unsalted butter, softened
- 75g golden caster sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 75g of ground almonds
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Method
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1First, make the pastry. In a bowl, combine the butter cubes with the flour and salt. Then add just enough iced water to bring everything together into a dough full of big pieces of butter.
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2On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough in one direction away from you to make a rectangle about 1cm thick. Fold the two short ends into the middle so they overlap. Give the pastry a quarter-turn and repeat the rolling and folding process three more times.
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3Wrap the pastry in cling film, then rest it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Remove the pastry from the fridge and repeat the folding process a further three times. Wrap the pastry again and place it in the fridge to chill.
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4Then, put the Bramley apple dice in a pan with the lemon zest, half the thyme leaves and 75g of the sugar. Add 1 tablespoon of water and cook, covered, over a low heat. Stir regularly until the apple pieces have dissolved and you have a thick, slightly translucent purée – this should take about 25-30 minutes. Spoon into a bowl, cool, then place in the fridge to chill.
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5For the frangipane, cream together the butter, caster sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and ground almonds and mix until combined. Set aside.
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6Heat the oven to 190°C/ 170C Fan/ Gas Mark 5. Roll out the pastry on a well-floured surface about 4-5mm thick. Using your Le Creuset Toughened Non-Stick 26cm Square Roaster as a guide, line the roaster with the pastry and trim to fit. Use a dull knife to score a 2cm margin around the base of the 4 sides of the pastry but don’t cut all the way through.
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7Spread the frangipane mixture out over the pastry, taking it up to the margins if you can.
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8Now spread the chilled apple purée evenly over the top of the frangipane, again, almost to the edges.
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9Arrange the dessert apple slices over the purée in overlapping lines, running back and forth, until you have used them all up.
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10Bake the tart for 30-40 minutes, or until the pastry is risen and crisp and the apples are soft and golden.
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11Sprinkle over the remaining thyme leaves then allow the tart to cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.
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12Cook’s Notes
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13The Le Creuset Toughened Non-Stick 26cm Square Roaster is the ideal dish for baking this sweet “appley” pastry. Thanks to its brilliant non-stick qualities, you’ll get a perfectly crisp base and a tart that’s easy as pie to slice and serve.
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14My recipe for rough-puff pastry is very simple and much quicker than making a traditional puff. That said, if you want a good pud and you’re in a hurry, shop-bought puff pastry will work just as well too.
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15There’s no reason not to swap the apple slices for slices of ripe pear or even plum halves – they’ll both go well with the frangipane and the Bramley apple sauce.
