Name: Apple and almond tart
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 150 ml each of crème fraîche, mascarpone and thickened cream; Finely grated rind and juice of ½ lemon; To serve: toasted flaked almonds; Frangipane; 150 gm softened butter; 150 gm pure icing sugar, sieved; 1½ eggs, beaten; 75 gm each very finely ground blanched almonds and almond meal; 1 tsp brandy; Pastry; 220 gm plain flour; 150 gm butter, chilled, coarsely chopped; Seeds from 1 vanilla bean; 1 egg, beaten; Apples in Sauternes; 100 gm pure icing sugar, sieved; 4 apples, such as gala, pink lady or Jonathan, peeled, cored, each cut into 8 wedges; 120 ml Sauternes or another sticky white dessert wine

Apple and almond tart

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for apple and almond tart.

Serves 8

Prep

45M

Cook

45M

Total

1H 30M

South Australian organic Jonagold apples from Kalangadoo Organic Orchards with a Sauternes sauce make the handsome topping to this almond tart.

Ingredients

150 ml each of crème fraîche, mascarpone and thickened cream

Finely grated rind and juice of ½ lemon

To serve: toasted flaked almonds

Frangipane

150 gm softened butter

150 gm pure icing sugar, sieved

1½ eggs, beaten

75 gm each very finely ground blanched almonds and almond meal

1 tsp brandy

Pastry

220 gm plain flour

150 gm butter, chilled, coarsely chopped

Seeds from 1 vanilla bean

1 egg, beaten

Apples in Sauternes

100 gm pure icing sugar, sieved

4 apples, such as gala, pink lady or Jonathan, peeled, cored, each cut into 8 wedges

120 ml Sauternes or another sticky white dessert wine

Method

Main

1.For frangipane, beat butter and icing sugar in an electric mixer until pale and combined, beat in eggs, then stir through almonds and brandy. Refrigerate until firm (1 hour).

2.For pastry, process flour, butter and vanilla seeds in a food processor until combined, then add egg and process until mixture comes together. Form into a disc, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate to rest (1 hour).

3.Roll pastry to a 28cm round between 2 sheets of baking paper and refrigerate until firm. Remove paper, transfer pastry to a lightly floured surface, dust with flour and roll to a 32cm round (if pastry gets too soft, refrigerate again until firm). Line a 25cm-diameter straight-sided buttered and floured tart tin with pastry, spoon frangipane into tart and smooth with the back of a wet spoon, then trim pastry to just above frangipane and refrigerate to rest (30 minutes).

4.Preheat oven to 180C. Bake tart until pastry is golden and frangipane is golden and set (30-40 minutes; you may need to cover the centre of pastry with foil if browning too much). Turn off oven and leave in oven for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (1 hour). Turn out onto a serving plate.

5.For apples in Sauternes, heat a large frying pan over high heat, add icing sugar, then arrange apples on top and cook until turning caramel in colour (3-4 minutes), then toss occasionally until caramelised all over (3-5 minutes). Add Sauternes and turn apples occasionally until a thin sauce forms (2-3 minutes).

6.Whisk crème fraîche, mascarpone, cream, lemon rind and juice in a bowl until soft peaks form.

7.Serve tart topped with apples in Sauternes and scattered with toasted almonds, with crème fraîche mixture to the side.