MR WOODHOUSE’S ‘ALL-APPLE’ TARTS
Using store-bought puff pastry, these look super impressive but are a breeze to make. You can use any other fruit instead of apples – plums, apricots and cherries would all work well. If you are in a hurry, you can skip the apricot glaze and dust them with icing sugar instead.
In the village of Highbury, Emma’s Mr Woodhouse always has the last word on what is healthy and unhealthy when it comes to food, and, perhaps surprisingly, apple tart is one of the dishes that passes muster, if eaten in moderation. ‘Let Emma help you,’ he tells his guest Miss Bates, ‘to a little bit of tart – a very little bit. Ours are all apple tarts.
You need not be afraid of unwholesome preserves here. I do not advise the custard,’ he adds.
MAKES 4
● 350g ready-made puff pastry
● 2 crisp green dessert apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored and sliced
● 1 tbsp caster sugar
● 25g unsalted butter, chilled
● Soured cream, to serve
FOR THE APRICOT GLAZE
● 170g apricot jam
● 2 tsp lemon juice
● 2 tsp water
1. Cut the pastry into four, then roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick. Cut out four circles using a 13cm plate as a guide – make a number of short cuts around the plate rather than drawing the knife around, which can stretch the pastry.
Place on a baking sheet.
2. Place a slightly smaller plate on each pastry circle and score around the edge to form a 2cm border. Prick the centres of each disc with a fork. Chill for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/428°F/ gas mark 7. Arrange the apple slices in a circle over the pastry rounds and sprinkle with the sugar. Grate the butter over the top and bake for 25–30 minutes until the pastry and apples are golden.
4. Put the jam in a small saucepan with the lemon juice and the measured water and heat gently until the jam melts. Increase the heat and boil for 1 minute, remove from the heat and press through a fine sieve. Keep warm, then brush over each apple tart while they are still warm.