The Spanish have their version of apple tart, just like every other country. Usually it’s made with a shortcrust base, but we’ve used puff pastry. The trick with layering the apples for this tart was passed on to food editor Lisa Featherby while working with Katrina Kanetani at MG Garage.
Ingredients
Vanilla cream
Method
Main
1.Preheat oven to 220C. Roll pastry to 3mm thick and cut out a 20cm-diameter circle. Place on a baking paper-lined oven tray, top with baking paper, then another tray. Bake until golden and crisp (20-25 minutes). Set aside.
2.Meanwhile, grease and line a 19cm-diameter springform pan. Slice apple halves, in batches, with a mandolin to 2mm thick and, starting from the outside of the pan, stand apple slices in half moons (flat edge down), tightly overlapping and working your way in towards the centre to create a spiral. Sprinkle 60gm sugar over apple and dot with butter, then bake until apple softens (5-10 minutes). Invert onto a baking paper-lined oven tray, remove sides of springform pan and place a tray on top. Weight with an ovenproof saucepan and press lightly to flatten. Bake for 20 minutes or until pressed, then remove saucepan, top tray, pan base and baking paper and place pastry round on top. Cover again with baking paper and a tray, invert and set aside. Preheat grill to high.
3.For vanilla cream, combine all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until required.
4.Dust tart with remaining sugar and grill, or blowtorch, until caramelised (2-3 minutes). Serve immediately with vanilla cream.
