This was passed on from Bridget and turns out to be a Mary Berry recipe. It’s a delicious dessert and makes a great centrepiece for special occasions. Investing in a flan dish with a removable base was the best thing we ever did, just to make this.
”So often your home baking efforts don't look like the picture in the book. This never fails to disappoint
ThemeNectar
INGREDIENTS
For the pastry
- 100g/4oz butter, cubed
- 200g/8oz plain flour
- 25g/1oz icing sugar, sifted
- 1 egg, beaten
FOR THE FILLING
- 4 eggs
- 200g/8oz caster sugar
- 2 lemons, rind and juice only, grated
- 100g/4oz butter, melted
- 2 large Bramley apples (about 350g/12oz in weight), peeled
- 2 dessert apples, peeled and thinly sliced
- 25g/1oz demerara sugar
METHOD
- If making the pastry by hand, rub the butter into the flour and icing sugar until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the beaten egg and bring together to form a dough. This can also be done in a food processor.
- Chill for about 30 minutes. Roll the dough out on a floured surface and line a round 28cm/11in (3.5cm/1½in deep) flan tin. Form a lip around the edge. Chill for a further 30 minutes while making the filling.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
- To make the filling, beat the eggs, caster sugar, lemon rind and juice together in a large mixing bowl.
- Stir in the warm melted butter.
- Coarsely grate the Bramley apples directly into the mixture and mix well. (This can be made up to 4 hours in advance and left in the fridge.)
- Remove the tart from the fridge and spread the runny lemon mixture over the base.
- Level the surface with the back of a spoon and arrange the dessert apple slices around the edge, overlapping.
- Sprinkle over the demerara sugar.
- Put on a heavy baking tray and bake in the oven for about 40-50 minutes until the centre feels firm to the touch and the apples are tinged brown.
SERVING SUGGESTION
The baked tart freezes really well. If you plan to freeze it, line the flan tin with baking paper to stop the acid from the lemon interacting with the tin. The frozen tart is also super easy to handle and can be lifted from the tin and placed on your serving tray
Serve warm or cold with dollops of lightly whipped cream, ice-cream, or clotted cream.
Serves up to 12
PREPARATION AND COOKING
Preparation time: Pastry 1 hour with chilling time
Marinading time:
Cooking time: up to 50 minutes
Cooking details: Bake. Can be reheated
