Issue No. 14

how to make maman's apple tart
Ingredients
1 large egg
100ml/3 1/3 fl oz/scant ½ cup double cream
(or crème fraiche)
3 heaped tbsp. caster sugar
Butter for greasing
225-250g/8-9 oz readymade shortcrust pastry
(or make your own).
Plain flour, for rolling out the pastry
30g/1 oz/scant 1/3 cup ground almonds
405 apples such as Cox or Braeburn, peeled,
Method
Mix the egg, cream and sugar in a bowl,
beating with an electric mixer or hand-held
electric whisk for about 5 minutes until
fluffy.
Grease a 24cm/9 ½ in loose bottomed tart
tin with butter.
Roll out the pasty on a lightly floured
surface until it is about 305mm/1/8-1/4
inch thick. Then roll the pastry over the
rolling pin and place the pastry over the tart
tin.
With one hand lift the pastry edge and with
the other gently tuck the pastry into the
bottom and sides of the tin so that it fits
tightly. Don’t over-stretch it or it’ll break.
and press down gently to push out any
bubbles.
Trim off any excess pastry by rolling the pin
over the top edge of the tin. Prick the pastry
base all over with a fork, cover with cling
film and chill for 25-30 minutes.
Towards the end of the chilling time,
preheat the oven to 180 deg C/350 def F/
gas 4.
Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and
sprinkle the ground almonds over the tart
base, then arrange the apple pieces in fan
shape over the almonds starting from the
outside edge and finishing in the centre.
Place the pieces as regularly as you can
and pour the egg mixture over the apples,
making sure that the whole surface has
been drizzled with the mixture and there
are no gaps.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-25
minutes until pale golden.
Remove from the oven and set aside until
it has cooled down la little.
Serve the tart while it is still warm, when it
is most delicious. You don’t need cream or
ice cream, its best or is own with a lovely
espresso on the side!
Recipe from Daniel Galmiche’s classic
French recipe book The French Brasserie
Cookbook, available from Amazon.