Blushing apple tart

Serves eight to 10

What you’ll need

2 Shortcrust pastries

6 Apples, cored, peeled and thinly sliced

½ Orange, juiced

¼ cup plus 2 tbsp sugar, divided

½ cup brown sugar

½ Cooked beetroot, chopped

¼ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp sea salt

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp orange zest

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 Egg, whisked with 1 tsp water, for egg wash

Treacle sugar, for finishing

The how-to Line a 22cm pie pan with one pastry and roll the other into a 25cm round pan. Refrigerate both. Heat oven to 200˚C.

In a bowl, toss apples with orange juice and two tablespoons sugar. Set aside for 20-30 minutes.

In a food processor, combine all remaining brown sugar, beetroot, ginger, cardamom, salt, flour, vanilla, zest and vinegar, and purée until smooth. Drain excess liquid from apples. Add beetroot mixture; toss to combine.

Tightly layer apples in pastry, mounding them slightly higher at centre. If desired, use a small cookie cutter to cut shapes into pastry, then place on top and crimp edges of crust together. Brush top with egg wash and sprinkle with treacle sugar to taste.

Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Reduce heat to 190˚C, and continue baking until top is golden brown and juices are bubbling, for about 35- 40 minutes.

Cool for two to three hours before serving.