Apple tarte fine

Apple tarte fine. Photograph: Harry Weir
Apple tarte fine. Photograph: Harry Weir
Serves: 6
Course: Dessert
Cooking Time: 3 hrs 40 mins

Ingredients

  • For the rough puff pastry:
  • 150g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 100g salted butter, cubed
  • 75ml cold water
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • (If buying premade puff pastry, you’ll need 130g)
  • For the frangipane:
  • 30g caster sugar
  • 30g butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ tsp almond extract
  • 30g ground almonds
  • For the apples:
  • 3 small apples; Braeburn, Cox or Granny Smith
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 1 egg for egg wash

For the pastry:
1
If making the rough puff pastry, sift the flour into a large bowl and add the butter. Mix the butter around to coat it in flour, just until it starts to look like coarse breadcrumbs. You want to see larger squashed pieces of butter in the mixture. Mix the water and lemon juice together and add to the bowl.

2 Chop the butter into the flour, until the dough comes together. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a large rectangle.

3 Roll the dough out into a longer thinner rectangle, then fold one-third of the dough to the centre, then fold the other third over that. Roll the pastry out again to the same proportions as before and fold again in the same way. Rotate the pastry a quarter turn and repeat the rolling and folding. Continue for another three more times, rotating a quarter turn each time. Wrap the pastry in cling film and place into the fridge to chill for at least three hours.

4 Preheat the oven to 190 degrees or 170 degrees fan and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

5 Once it is chilled, weigh out 130g of pastry. If using pre-made puff pastry, weigh out 130g. Roll the pastry out into a circle, around 20cm in diameter. Place onto the baking tray and into the fridge.

For the frangipane:
1
Cream the sugar and butter together until pale and soft. Add the egg and mix well, followed by the almond extract and ground almonds. Set aside.

For the apples:
1
Peel and quarter the apples, removing the core. Cut the apples into half centimetre slices.

To assemble:
1
Remove the puff pastry sheet from the fridge and prick all over with a fork. Using a piping bag or spoon, pipe or spoon the frangipane in a large circle on the pastry, leave a few centimetres around the edge. Arrange the apples on top in concentric circles, then sprinkle the brown sugar on top.

2 Finally dot the butter on top of the tart and brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg.

3 Bake for 35-40 minutes until the puff pastry is golden and the apples have softened and are cooked through.

Aoife Noonan

Aoife Noonan

Aoife Noonan is a pastry chef and culinary consultant. She writes a weekly baking column for the Irish Times Magazine