Ingredients:
250g Plain Flour
125g butter, unsalted, diced, at room temperature
1 pinch sea salt
1 medium egg
1 yolk
For the Apple tart and the glaze:
3 ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’, ‘Worcester’, ‘Russet’ or ‘Braeburn’ apples, peeled, cored and cut into 10 segments per apple
1 tbsp butter, unsalted, melted
½ tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp caster sugar
Maman Blanc’s Apple Tart Recipe
Method
For the shortcrust pastry dough:
1. In a large bowl, rub together the flour, butter and salt using your fingertips until it reaches a sandy texture. Make a well in the center and add the whole egg and yolk.
2. With the tip of your fingers, in little concentric circles, work the eggs into the flour and butter mixture; then at the last moment when the eggs have been absorbed, bring and press the dough together to form a ball.
3. Lightly flour your work surface and knead with the palms of your hands for 20 seconds, until you have a
homogeneous consistency.
4. Reserve 20-30g of dough, tightly wrap it in cling film and store for later. Wrap the remaining dough in cling film and flatten it slightly to 2cm thickness and refrigerate.
Lining the tart ring:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C. Place a baking stone or pastry tray in the middle of the oven.
2. Place the dough in the middle of a large sheet of cling film 40cm x 40cm, cover with another sheet of cling film, roll the dough out to 2-3mm thick circle shape.
3. Place the tart ring on the wooden peel lined with greaseproof paper. Lift off the top layer of cling film,
(discard) then, lift the dough using the bottom layer of cling film closest to you, and drape into the tart ring. Lift the edges and push the dough into the ring; then, press the dough wrapped in clingfilm into the base of the tart ring.
4. Ensure the dough is neatly compressed and moulded into the shape of the ring. This will minimise shrinkage or collapse of the dough.
5. Trim the edges of the tart by using a rolling pin.
6. Now, raise the height of the dough 2mm above the tart ring. You achieve this by pressing your index finger
and thumb and pushing the pastry gently to the top of the pastry case all around the edge of the tart ring.
7. With a fork, prick the bottom of the tart. Allow to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes to relax the pastry.
For the Apple tart and the glaze:
1. Lay the apple segments, closely together, overlapping on to the base of the tart case. Brush with the melted butter, sugar and lemon juice, dust liberally with icing sugar.
2. Using the peel, slide the tart into the oven, onto the pre-heated pastry tray and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Turn the oven down to 200°C; continue to cook for a further 20 minutes until the pastry becomes a light
golden colour and the apples have caramelized.
4. Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool for a minimum of one hour. Remove the tart ring and slide on to a large flat plate.
5. Dust with the icing sugar and leave to cool slightly for 30 minutes before you serve.