Postcard from Autumn


(Simple apple tart)

A postcard from Autumn in Sydney would read something a little like this : Bringing you sunshine filled days and cool, breezy evenings. Enjoy. PS: Don’t forget to make apple tart!

This month, I’ve been busy eating as many of Summer’s last yellow nectarines as possible, while in the kitchen, I’m already dreaming of apple pie and hot stews. It’s no coincidence that we’ve already had two apple-based pastries since the start of March. Nothing spells comfort to me more.

Inspired by Autumn’s note, and a wedge of flaky pastry I dug out from the freezer, a very simple apple tart was made. Not overly sweet and not too dissimilar to the French tarte fine aux pommes, it was delicious served with a little puddle of vanilla custard. There are many things you could add to this tart to make it a bit more fancy. Brush a cider glaze over the finished product, or wave a blow torch over the surface as it emerges from the oven. Heck you could even make it with a combination of apples and persimmons (another great Autumn fruit). But you could also just as easily keep it simple, because sometimes, simple is best.

Simple Apple Tart :

250g flaky pastry (a recipe is provided below, if you need one)
2 apples
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons sugar (or vanilla sugar)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Slice the cored but unpeeled apples as thinly as possible (use a mandoline if you have one). Toss in the lemon juice and set aside while you roll the pastry.

On a lightly floured counter top, roll out the pastry to 1/8-inch thick and line a 9-inch shallow pie tin, trimming off any excess pastry. (You can use the offcuts to make pie cookies!) Drain off the lemon juice and arrange the apple slices on top of the pastry in a concentric pattern, like so. Combine the sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle on top of the apple slices. Bake in a preheated 190’C oven for 25-30 minutes. Serve with custard or ice-cream.

[NB : For the flaky pastry : In a food processor, blitz 140g plain flour with a generous pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon sugar and 120g butter, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add 1 yolk and 1-2 tablespoons of iced water and blitz again until the dough just comes together. Wrap and chill the dough for a few hours before using.] (Simple apple tart)

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10 Comments »

  1. Rosa said,

    March 18, 2013 @ 5:47 pm

    A delightful tart and great autumnal treat!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  2. Caitlin said,

    March 19, 2013 @ 12:04 am

    And now I’ll have to either sneak one of these in before it warms up here or wait until September/October when the apples start rolling back in. Baked goods with apples are my favorite.

  3. Rosie @ Blueberry Kitchen said,

    March 20, 2013 @ 11:11 pm

    Your photos are just gorgeous and your tart sounds delicious 🙂

  4. Christina @ The Hungry Australian said,

    March 21, 2013 @ 1:21 am

    So pretty – a perfect dessert for this cooler weather.

  5. Afternoon Tea Time said,

    March 21, 2013 @ 11:44 am

    Your blog looks beautiful. And your apple tart looks amazing, just in time for Autumn..

  6. e / dig in hobart said,

    March 25, 2013 @ 12:20 pm

    my easter break to-do list has ‘apple pie or cake’ on the list 🙂

  7. Rebekka said,

    April 3, 2013 @ 4:56 am

    Oh, that apple tart!!! How beautiful!!!!!!!!!

  8. Indian Restaurant said,

    April 19, 2013 @ 12:21 am

    Oh, what a beautiful blog site and these delightful tart so yummy!!!!! i loved this.

  9. Carly Findlay said,

    April 20, 2013 @ 4:02 pm

    Oh wow! This apple tart looks amazing 🙂 I made a pear and ginger tart a few weeks ago.
    Somglad to meet you – stoping by from Voices of 2013. What a beautiful blog you have.

  10. Kara said,

    April 30, 2013 @ 6:04 am

    When I finally got around to it and made this I was SO glad. Holy deliciousness! A week later, I was craving it and had to make this instead (ie, the cheater version that just scratched an itch): http://www.funnytummycafe.com/2013/04/10/apple-pie-nachos/

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