French Apple Tart

Pastry
180g flour
90g butter
50g icing sugar
1 egg yolk
iced water

Place the flour, butter and icing sugar in a food processor and process until it is crumbly. Add the egg yolk and process again then gradually add in a little iced water until the mixture starts to stick together – press is between your finger and thumb to test.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead lightly then roll out and use to line a loose-bottom tart tin. Prick the bottom with a fork then refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cover the pastry with aluminium foil and fill with dried beans and bake blind for 10 minutes at 190C. Remove the beans and foil and bake a further five minutes.

Filling

10 medium apples
40g butter

25g castor sugar

45mls brandy
jam to glaze

Peel, core and roughly chop six of the apples and place in a saucepan with the butter, castor sugar, brandy, and the juice and rind of one lemon. Simmer gently until the apple is tender, stirring from time to time so the mixture does not burn. Puree in a blender or mash with a fork or potato masher.

Spoon this mixture into the partially cooked pastry shell. Peel and slice the remaining apples (three may be enough) and arrange on the apple puree in overlapping slices. Brush with the juice of the second lemon.

Return tart to the oven and bake at 180C for a further 30 minutes until the apple slices are tender.

Mix a couple of tablespoons of jam with a little water and brush over the apple slices to glaze.

Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.