My kind of Apple Tart

This apple tart is really my kind of ideal apple tart. I've "designed" it in the way to use the minimal amount of butter to achieve a great taste. The pastry is the lighter version that I got from a light lemon tart recipe from BBC Australian GoodFood magazine (Nov 2010 issue). With this, I've created a light frangipane mixture to spread the pastry and filled up the tart case with lots of freshly sauté apples.

I've very impressed with this lighter version of pastry; it is flaky and delicious just like most regular shortcrust pastry!  Everyone has their thumbs up for this tart.

Fresh from the oven...

No wet pastry at the bottom because the apples has been pre-cooked!

Check out the shiny glaze of the tart...yum!

Here's the pastry recipe from Nov 2010 issue of BBC Australian GoodFood magazine.

1 cup (150g) plain flour
50g cold unsalted butter, chopped
1 tbsp pure icing sugar
1 tbsp grapeseed oil (but I used canola oil)
1 egg yolk

1. Place flour and butter in a food processor and process until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add icing sugar, oil, egg yolk and 1-2tbsp cold water and process until mixture forms a ball.
2. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to 3-4mm thickness accordingly to the shape of your flan pan. I used a loose based 33 cm x 13 cm tart pan. Transfer the rolled pastry into a flan pan and trim the edges of pastry. Lightly prick base with a fork and chill for 10 min.
3. Preheat oven to 190°C. Place pan on a baking tray. Line pastry with baking paper and fill with pastry weights and bake for 15 min. Remove weights and bake for another 5 min.

My apple fillings:

I cut 4 small to medium size apples to slices in about 5-10mm thickness and salute them with 1 tbsp of rice bran oil spread with 1 tsp of cinnamon until they are slightly soft and tender (see side picture). I did not over-cook them because I want a nice soft crunch of these apples in my finished product. Cool apples completely before assemble on tart case.

My light frangipane mixture:

1 cup (125g) almond meal
4 tbsp icing sugar
25g cold unsalted butter, chopped
1 egg yolk

Apricot glaze: 6 tbsp apricot jam, microwave in low power to slightly melt it 
(I used the weight watcher low sugar one)

1. Place all in a food processor and process until mixture become a soft paste.
2. Spread the frangipane mixture onto the baked pastry and arrange the saulted apple on the frangipane mixture.
3. Spread the slightly melted apricot jam evenly on the apples and continue to bake for 25-30 min. Cool in pan for 10 min. Remove from pan and serve.

Happy Baking.
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