Double Crust Apple Pie

This is one of those dishes that I keep doing over and over again. It's actually several years in the making. If the crust weren't so good I wouldn't be bothering. But that's the crux of the problem, the crust is really crisp and yummy but it's so hard to handle. It was just too soft. So one of my experiments was not to soften the butter and just cut it in the flour and sugar like a traditional pie crust. Then I beat the egg and egg yolk and mixed it in the butter-flour mixture. It did work and is sturdier than the original version. Next I have to try it with just 1 egg and either increase the flour or decrease the butter. Either way I hope it will make the dough firmer without sacrificing too much of the excellent taste.

More apples would have to be added. I wanted one of those really high apple pies I see in American magazines which would also mean longer baking times. I just hope I don't end up with burnt crust and barely cooked apples inside.

This is a much modified version of the original from The Ultimate Recipe Book by Angela Nilsen. The original recipe is also in the BBC GoodFood website.

Double-Crust Apple Pie

*Pastry:
225 g  butter - softened but not almost melted
50 g  caster sugar
1 large egg - beaten
350 g  plain flour

*Filling:
1.2 kg apples
100 g  caster sugar
3 Tbsp light muscovado or brown sugar (packed)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp plain flour

*Egg wash:
1 small egg - beaten
1 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp sugar (for sprinkling)

*For the pastry:

1. Cream butter with sugar for about a minute.
2. Add egg and beat until well mixed.
3. Add flour and mix well. Knead for a few turns just enough to keep it together.
4. Separate about 1/3 of the dough. Shape both into balls, cover with clingfilm or put in a plastic bag.
5. Put in the fridge to firm up for about 1 hour.

*For the filling:

1. Peel and core the apples. Slice into 1/4-inch pieces.
2. Combine the sugars, cinnamon, and flour.
3. Add the flour mixture into the sliced apples and mix well.

*To assemble:

1. Preheat oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/375°F.
2. Roll out the smaller (1/3 part) of the dough into an 11-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick.
3. Lay and centre the rolled-out pastry on a 9-inch pie plate making sure that the overhanging pastry is evenly distributed.
4. Tip all of the apple mixture onto the pastry-lined pie plate. Make sure it mounds in the centre.
5. Roll out the remaining dough into a circle about 13-inch in diameter and 1/8-inch thick.
6. Carefully lay on top of the apple mixture and cut the overhanging pastry to about 1/2 to 1-inch.
7. Crimp pastry at the edge of the pie plate.
8. Put about four slits on the pastry to let the steam out during baking.
9. Mix the egg and milk for the egg wash. Brush generously all over the pie.
10. Sprinkle about 1 Tbsp sugar on top.
11. Bake for about 55 minutes to 1 hour or until a skewer poked in one of the slits pushes through smoothly in the apple filling (this means the apples are cooked). If the crust is turning too brown cover loosely with foil.
12. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes.

Note: Although the crust is delicious, I am still experimenting on the best way to prepare it since I find the original recipe is too soft to handle. So far I have tried cutting the flour into a chilled butter (like most traditional recipes) - it was a success. Next time I will try in the original way (softened butter) but with only 1 egg and maybe more flour.

Lasang Pinoy 17: Egg Pie

Well, thank goodness the resurrection of Lasang Pinoy coincided with my re-entry into the fold of Pinoy food blogging. It was fortuitous enough for me to have a post waiting for a chance to be published. This edition is hosted by Afbeercan of Eat Matters - a food blog with beautiful delectable pictures.


More than a month ago, Stel and Sha were witness to my obsession with custards at the time. I baked daan tart (Chinese egg tarts) - the delectable kind you find in dimsum trolleys. A Chinese dim sum cookbook (with English translations of course) was whipped out and I followed the recipe to the letter. My kids were eagerly awaiting the tarts, anxiously peering through the oven glass door. Five minutes after I took it out of the oven they were gobbling it up. They only ate one each and left the rest to completely cool off. But when it did it was met with "Yecchh! It's green !" Indeed, the custard turned greyish-green. Hahaha! It was all right when I tasted it but had that very unappetising colour of molting fungus. Did I overcook it? Could it be that the only ingredients of the custard are egg yolks and syrup? I didn't try to find out because I've just about given up on having a 'eureka' moment for daan tart (that was my fourth experiment).

Instead I turned my obession to egg pies. You know, that type of custard set on a pastry case. Of course my earliest memories of these would be the one you get from bakeries on the Philippines - less eggy more on the milky side set on sweet shortcrust crumbly pie shell with a very dark skin on top. Lately in my travels here and in France I would encounter something similar various names - creme tart, creme flan, nature flan, custard tart, etc. but it would always be that same custard on a pie crust. Although I have to admit the European model is more on the eggy side.

My search for a recipe in the internet started several years ago but I can't find a decent one. Then when I was flicking through various cookbooks that has been neglected gathering dust in the book shelves, I came upon Gordon Ramsay's Sunday Lunch cookbook. (Even though I abhor his constant swearing on the telly, his recipes has been very reliable, quite accurate and really works based on my experience.) He has in there a custard pie recipe which I didn't lose time in adapting and trying out. It turned very very successful ! At last my long lost egg pie/creme flan/creme tart I've found you !

I will have to make it another time without the beating of the egg whites. Let's see if adding whole eggs without beating it separately will result in the same delicious pie. Take note, this is not exactly like the commercial version we buy in the Phils. This is a more eggy version which for me is preferable. Try to use the best possible eggs and milk. If budget permits organic, go for it. As always, the quality will shine through the finished product.

Egg Pie
(Custard Pie/Tart)

* For the pastry:
125 g  [1/2 cup] unsalted butter - at room temperature
90 g  [1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp] caster sugar (superfine)
250 g  [1 cup + 2/3 cup] plain flour
1 egg - beaten
1-2 Tbsp cold water

* For the filling:
2 1/3 cup milk
4 eggs - separated
100 g  [1/2 cup] caster sugar (superfine)
1 1/2 Tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)

• To make the pastry:
  1. Combine flour and sugar in a bowl.
  2. Cut in the butter with two butter knives or a pastry cutter. Then rub in the butter with your fingers until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
  3. Mix in lightly the egg and knead the dough until it just about comes together. If necessary sprinkle cold water if the dough seems dry.
  4. Knead for a short while and form into a ball. Do not over knead or it will be difficult to roll out.
     Wrap in plastic or cling film and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm it up.
  5. Roll out thinly on a floured table top to a circle about 12 inches in diameter.
  6. Line a 23 cm (9 inch) pie pan or fluted flan tin making sure to press the pastry well into the sides.
  7. Put the tin on a baking sheet and bake blind: line the pastry with foil and baking beans.
  8. Bake in a preheated oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/400°F/gas mark 6 for 15 minutes.
  9. Remove foil and baking beans then return to oven to bake for another 5 minutes.
  10. Trim the excess pastry from the edge of the flan tin with a knife.
  
  
  
• To make the filling:
  1. Turn the oven temperature down to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
  2. In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and egg yolks.
  3. Stir in the milk into the mixture.
  4. In a separate bowl, whip the egg white to soft peaks and fold gently into the milk/egg yolk mixture with a metal spoon.
  5. Place the pastry lined flan tin on a baking sheet.
  6. Pour the filling in the tin and bake for 20 minutes until the top is brown.
  7. Bring down oven temperature to 110C/fan 90C/250F and bake for a further 1 hour until the custard is just set. The centre should wobble a little.
  8. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Fresh Strawberry Tart

Strawberry - my favourite berry. It's summertime again and the produce section in shops are filled with all kinds of berries which my family would certainly take advantage of. My son likes raspberries, my daughter like cherries and strawberries (like me) and the husband likes everything! Good thing they like most fruits to compensate for not particularly wanting to eat much veggies.

I found this irresistible tart on the cover of last month's BBC Good Food magazine and I thought I just had to make it. Good thing we were invited by good friends of ours for a barbecue so I have a good excuse. I tweaked this recipe of Phil Vickery a little bit to cater to my taste - increasing the sugar in the filling and decreasing the jam (you don't really need that much). My youngest helped me a lot in making this. Actually, she's bragging to our hosts that she made it. ;) And rightfully so. She helped cut in the butter, she rolled the dough and pressed it in the pan, she hulled the strawberries, mixed the fillings, glazed the pastry as well as the strawberries, and sprinkled over the nuts. I say - well done my little one!


Fresh Strawberry Tart

*Crust:
100 g  unsalted butter - chilled and cubed
200 g  plain flour
2 tsp caster sugar (superfine)
1 egg - beaten

*Filling:
250 g  cream cheese
3 Tbsp caster sugar (superfine)
grated zest from 1 small orange
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (from the small orange)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint (optional)

500 g  strawberries - hulled and halved
3 Tbsp strawberry jam
1 1/2 Tbsp water
3 Tbsp chopped, shelled pistacios

• Preheat oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/400°F.


• For the pastry crust:
  
  1. Put flour and sugar in a bowl, mix well.
  2. Add the cubed butter and cut it in the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or 2 butter knives until of coarse breadcrumbs consistency.
  3. Add only 3/4 of the beaten egg (reserve the rest for glazing). Toss the mixture, adding a little water if needed, until the dough just about comes together into a ball.
  4. Wrap plastic or cling film and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
  5. Roll out the dough evenly on a floured surface to about 1.5 inches/4 cm larger than a 9-inch/23cm tart pan (preferably with removable bottom).
  6. Put the rolled dough on the tart pan and press it in. Trim excess pastry from the edge.
  7. Prick base well with a fork and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  8. Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper or foil then fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes.
  9. Decrease oven temperature to 160°C/fan 140°C/325°F. Remove the foil with the baking beans and cook for a further 10 minutes.
  10. Take out the oven and brush with the reserved beaten egg (to prevent the crust from getting soggy with the filling). Put back in the oven for about 2-3 minutes.
  11. Remove from oven and cool completely.


• For the filling and assembly:
  
  1. Beat the cream cheese with the sugar, juice, and orange zest. Mix in the chopped mint.
  2. Spread the mixture on the pastry case and arrange the strawberries prettily on top.
  3. Gently heat the strawberry jam and the water while stirring all the time. Sieve the jam (optional) and then brush over the strawberries to give it an attractive gloss.
  4. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios on top. Remove from tart pan and serve.

What's For Pud? Bakewell Tart !

St. George's Day is celebrated every 23rd of April in England where Georgie boy is the patron saint. Why he was made one? A legend had it that he skewered a large lizard. I don't know if he barbecued it with sauce on the side. Obviously, it's not as widely celebrated as St. Patrick's Day of Ireland. In fact, a lot of people hardly remember or know when it is or whether to celebrate it at all. Besides a few English flags in pubs you could hardly see much evidence of the event. Although in my former company our CEO was a diehard Englishman that we were 'gently' coerced to wear red and whites on the day and our offices decorated with red and white flags and buntings.

Sam of Becks & Posh sought to redress the problem by teaming up with Monkey Gland of Jam Faced to host a one-time blog event of What's For Pud? Traditional British food is not renowned for its popularity or sophistication but the puddings (desserts, puds, afters) are something else. My own personal favourite is the Sticky Toffee Pudding. Among the store bought ones, Marks & Spencers comes up trumps in my book. Really really delish and so satisfying. I wanted it to be my entry but I wasn't sure if it's English or where exactly it originated. Then I pondered on Sussex Pond but I don't want to go steaming for 3 hours! So to be safe I chose another favourite that I am sure is from England.

As the name suggests, Bakewell Tart originally came from Bakewell, Derbyshire - that's Mr. Darcy's home county mind you. I've visited that town a decade ago, too long ago that I could hardly remember what it looked like except that it's near that beautiful pile of a house called Chatsworth. I tried to delay posting this with a plan to visit the Peak District and Bakewell a week ago during the school term break so I could have some really attractive pictures of the town. But the family car died and we couldn't make the 4-hour drive. Such a shame. :(

The tart was originally known in the form of Bakewell Pudding which according to legend has been in existence as far back as the 1500s. The more recent history of it tells of a mistake (like the Tarte Tatin) in the kitchen of the White Horse coaching inn when an inexperienced cook mistook the instructions for a strawberry tart. Instead of putting the egg and sugar in the pastry, it was poured on top of the jam which was on an obviously plainer crust thus accidentally creating this delightful dessert (or tea fodder depending on your inclination).

Anyhow, the tart is a thin layer of raspberry or strawberry jam on a shortcrust pastry with almond cake on the next layer then topped with icing. I really do not fancy the icing, in fact whenever I eat a shop-bought one I scrape it off completely so I just omitted it this time so as not to prolong the start of my enjoyment of it.

Just look at that nice sliver of tart above, a lovely meld of the raspberry jam and almond based cake. The addition of orange and lemon zests was a brilliant idea of Brian Turner from whose book, Favourite British Recipes, I adapted my lovey-dovey delish tart.

All puffed up just out of the oven.

Bakewell Tart

*Pastry:
175 g  [heaping 1 1/3 cup] plain flour
pinch of salt
25 g  [5 tsp] caster sugar
finely grated zest of orange and lemon (optional)
80 g  [1/3 cup] cold unsalted butter
2-3 Tbsp cold water

*Filling:
100 g  [5 Tbsp] raspberry or strawberry jam
3 eggs
115 g  [1/2 cup] caster sugar
115 g  [scant 1/2 cup] unsalted butter - melted
115 g  [1 cup + 2 Tbsp] ground almonds
25 g  icing sugar, mixed with a little water (optional)

• For the pastry:
  1. Mix the flour, salt, sugar, orange and lemon zests in a bowl.
  2. Cut in the cold butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or with two butter knives until breadcrumb-like in texture.
  3. Sprinkle the cold water while tossing the mixture until it can be gathered into a ball. Press and knead a little to keep it together. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
  5. Roll out and line a 25cm (10-inch) tart pan. Crimp the edges.
  6. Warm the jam. (Optional) Press into a sieve to remove seeds. Spread over the base of the tart.


• For the filling:
  1. Beat the eggs with the sugar.
  2. Fold in the melted butter and ground almond slowly.
  3. Pour carefully on the pastry-lined tart pan.
  4. Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes. Remove and cool completely.
  5. (Optional) Pour the icing in the centre of the tart and using a palette knife spread as thinly as possible.

Tagged with: What's For Pud? and St George's Day

SHF 18: Red Wine Tart

First thing that came to my mind for the current SHF 18 are one of those liquour-laced cakes or desserts. But I thought why put a puny little amount when you can have it as a main ingredient. Thanks to a recipe I found in Anne Willan's fabulous book, A Kitchen in Burgundy, I was able to do a certainly interesting dessert.

As usual I made some blunder. Instructions clearly said to bake blind but my eyes were wide open when I did - I forgot the baking beans! So the pastry was too puffed up to my liking but no matter it still did the job. In fact, it was a very nice butter biscuit/cookie base so good that I balled up the excess and baked into cookies.

As for the filling, it didn't quite looked like the sea-of-tranquility smooth as that in Anne's book's picture. More like the Pink Floyd-y dark-side-of-the-moon pockmarked. But I was more surprised by the taste. I was preparing to dislike it or just have a passable 'okay' kind of flavour. However, it was only a little alcoholic, mildly bitter, and had an unexpected grape-y flavour (well *duh* wine is made from grapes for pete's sake!). I used (well actually used up left-overs) Merlot wine although Anne suggested to use Pinot Noir for a more fruity flavour. I have to say this is a keeper of a recipe although I definitely have to fiddle with the sugar in the pastry probably change it to caster sugar maybe even to icing sugar to remove the grittiness. And most of all to remember those blasted baking beans!




Red Wine Tart

*Sweet Pastry (Pate Sucree)
175 g  [1 1/2 cup] plain flour
100 g  [7 Tbsp] butter - softened
3 egg yolks
100 g  [scant 1/2 cup] caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla

*Filling:
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp ground cinammon
2 eggs
100 g  [1/2 cup] sugar
250 ml  [1 cup] red wine

1/2 cup double cream for decoration

• For the pastry:
  1. Mix salt and flour in a bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry cutter or with 2 butter knives. Rub butter in with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
  2. Combine egg yolks and vanilla in a small bowl. Sprinkle this mixture to the butter-flour mixture and gather the dough into a ball.
  3. Knead and press dough between your hands just enough to hold it together. Do not over knead.
  4. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C/fan 170°C.
  5. Roll out into an 11-inch circle. Line and press into a 23cm [9-inch] fluted tart pan. Prick base with fork.
  6. Put an aluminium foil (shiny side down) on the pan and fill this with dry or ceramic beans.
  7. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove foil and beans and bake for another 5 minutes. Cool.


• For the filling:
  1. Combine cornstarch and cinammon and mix well.
  2. Whisk egg gently in a bowl and add the cornstarch mixture. Keep froth to minimum.
  3. Stir in the wine gently.


• Place the tart pan on a baking sheet. Put this on the oven shelf and while it's partially pulled out gently pour the filling in the pan. Push it gently in the oven.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes in 375°F/190°C/fan 170°C.
• Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes. Unmold. Cool completely.
• Before serving whip double cream until stiff peaks. Pipe on the edge of pie with a star tip.

The Best Ever Apple Pie

In our previous house all I had for an oven is a small table top one because the built-in convection oven was not working properly. Since the working one is small, all I could hope to bake in it is based on the size of the pan I could squeeze in. So tube pans and baking sheets are out; brownies, cookies, and mercifully pies are in, since I was able to find a pie pan small enough to fit in. At that time, I was still 'actively' lurking (what an oxymoron) in a Usenet discussion group - rec.food.cooking (RFC) and drooled over the recipes and food the members so lusciously describe. There was this one guy who touted his apple pie recipe as the 'best ever'. Hmmm, should I believe him? Only one way to find out - bake it. And guess what, he wasn't lying! It was and still is my favourite apple pie of all. Very caramelly and with a salty-sweet flavour (courtesy of the syrup).

Over the years of moving house and not having much time to bake, I lost the recipe and I was recently surfing the net trying to find the exact recipe. Good thing I managed to find the exact same one in the excellent website of the Dinner Co-op group. They credit their friend Fritz Knabe and the Southern Sideboards cookbook for the recipe.

You may use any of your favourite two-crust recipe for this. I think the only tricky thing is the latticed top crust which might be a challenge for some. But it's not really that hard to do. More like doing a basket weave which I'm sure most of you have done in your home economics class in school. For a pictorial guide on how to do it click here, go to the section for woven lattice. If lattice is not your thing, you can always put a normal rolled crust just make sure to put holes on it (decorative holes would be nice). I toned down the sugar a lot in the filling (maybe because I use Golden Delicious which is not so tart), so it's up to you if you want to increase it a bit by adding sugar. While the topping syrup is likewise reduced by a third because usually I end up with quite a bit leftover. Enjoy!

The Best Ever Apple Pie

*Crust
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter
1/2 tsp salt
4-5 Tbsp cold water

*Filling
6 Golden Delicious or Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored, and chopped
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp fine salt
3 Tbsp butter melted
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup golden syrup or corn syrup

*Topping
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp corn syrup
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 Tbsp softened butter

• For the crust:
  1. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl.
  2. Cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or two butter knives until the mixture is crumbly.
  3. Sprinkle enough water and knead it just enough to hold it together and form a dough ball. *Do not* over work/knead it or it will become quite stiff.
  4. Wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.


• For the filling:
  1. Mix the cornstarch, salt, butter, cinnamon, and syrup until well combined.
  2. Toss the chopped apples in this mixture.


• For the topping:
  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Set aside.


• To assemble:
  1. Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C/fan 200°C.
  2. Take the dough from the fridge and divide into two.
  3. On a clean, floured surface or between greaseproof paper and cling film, roll flat half of the dough evenly with a rolling pin into a circle shape with a diameter of about 11 inches.
  4. Turn out dough on a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edge until you have about 1 inch overhanging all around.
  5. Pour the apple filling on the pastry-lined pie plate.
  6. Again on a clean floured surface, roll out flat the remaining half of the dough and cut into long strips about 3/4 - 1 inch wide. Weave these strips on top of the apple filling into a lattice pattern. Trim edge until you have about 1-inch overhanging all around (same as the bottom crust).
  7. Tuck the overhang under and flute the sides decoratively with a fork or with fingers.
  8. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes.
  9. Lower oven temperature to 350°F/180°C/fan 160°C and bake for 30-35 minutes.
  10. Open the oven and spread the topping on top of the lattice crust.
  11. Bake for a further 10 minutes or until the top becomes golden brown.

Apple Streusel Pie

The glut of apples in autumn time is very much welcome to my son, J1, who adores apples in baked products. May it be pies, pastry, bread, or cakes. For sometime, the two of us have been trying out different versions of classic apple pies (of course with me slaving away while he does the tasting) to see which ones will have the honor of staying in our family recipe list.

One of them is this pie with a streusel topping. 'Streusel' according to the Joy of Baking glossary, is a type of cake or pastry topping, German in origin, and has a base of flour, butter, and sugar in which spices, nuts, and other ingredients are added. I adapted this from my beloved battered Let's Cook with Nora by Nora Daza.

I remember well the second time I baked this, I was so distracted with the things going on in the kitchen that I forgot to add flour to the sugar mixture used to toss the apples with. It turned out like an apple pie soup! Crusts at top and bottom were fine but the middle was so wet I was ladling it out when serving. :LOL: Then another time, I forgot to put milk with the topping ingredients. Whatever it was, seems this pie always get shortchanged. ;) So this time I banished all the kids from the kitchen and had a run down of the ingredients to make sure everything is in there. The only thing that I think I have to tweak is the cooking time since even after 40 minutes some of the apple pieces were not fully cooked (not that we mind ...) hence I put in 55 minutes in the recipe below.

About our taste preference, we don't like our apple pies too tart and not too sweet as well with just a tad bit of saltiness in it. This one has that kinda savoury-sweet tang in the topping courtesy of the cheese. The sugar in the filling was reduced a lot and the bottom crust is oh so flaky and buttery. Nice.


Apple Streusel Pie

*Crust:
85 g  [1/3 cup] butter - chilled
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp fine salt
2-3 Tbsp cold water

* Filling:
4 cups roughly chopped baking apples (Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Cox, etc.) - cored and peeled first
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp flour

*Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup golden granulated sugar
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup coarsely grated cheese
2 Tbsp milk

• Preheat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
• For the crust:
  1. Put the flour and butter in a bowl.
  2. Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or two butter knives until mixture is into a crumbly state.
  3. Sprinkle enough water and toss until you can gather the dough into a ball. Press, turn and gently knead to just about bring it together until the doughball is smooth and the texture uniform. Caution: do not over knead of it will become inelastic and stiff.
  4. Wrap or put in a plastic bag and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  5. On a clean, floured surface or between greaseproof paper and cling film, roll flat evenly with a rolling pin into a circle shape with a diameter of about 11 inches.
  6. Turn out dough on a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edge until you have about 1 inch overhanging all around.
  7. Tuck the overhang under and flute the sides decoratively with a fork or with fingers.
  8. Prick crust all over with fork.
• For the filling:
  1. Combine all ingredients except the apple in a container and mix well.
  2. Toss the chopped apple in the spice mixture.
  3. Put and arrange into the unbaked pie crust.
• For the topping:
  1. Combine sugar and flour in a bowl.
  2. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or two butter knives until crumbly.
  3. Add in cheese and toss to combine.
  4. Sprinkle milk and mix well.
  5. Spread to cover top of apple mixture.
• Bake in oven for about 55 minutes. If the crust and topping is browning too much, coverly loosely with aluminum foil.
• Remove from oven and cool. Serve warm or cold.

SHF 9: Fresh Fruit Tart

This is probably the worst food blogging event I've done. Not the theme of course (which by the way is tart), but my entry. I just can't hack this tart making more specifically the tart base. Why my first attempt was a resounding disaster because my tart almost burnt to cinders. The second one almost met the same fate. :sigh: My ancient oven seems to have a lot of hot spots.

The biscuit-like base was actually good which should be crunchy and on the brittle side but it got sooo hard when I made the mistake of chilling the whole thing. I was already contemplating on borrowing my neighbor's chainsaw to give myself a slice. Then there's the case of the pastry cream (creme patisserie) which tasted sort of ... ah ... 'cheap'. It must be the vanilla or maybe I should have used single/light cream instead of milk. I don't know, it just doesn't taste right. The only consolation I have is the sight of the fresh fruits arranged glistening on top. Really nice.

It only proves that I really learn a lot from these food blogging events. Lesson for today is - buy a new oven ! :lol:

[TV announcer lilting voice] This edition is brought to you by Red Beard at Life in Flow, A French Kitchen in Burgundy by Anne Willan for the tart base and French Cooking Made Easy (it's not bloody easy!!) by the Australian Women's Weekly. If you're masochistic enough to want to torture yourself, here's the recipe:


Fresh Fruit Tart

*For the sweet pastry (pate sucree):
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
100 gm chilled butter

*For the pastry cream (creme patisserie):
1 1/4 cups milk
3 egg yolks
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp cornflour
1/4 cup caster sugar (superfine)
1 tsp vanilla [optional]

*Topping:
sliced fresh fruits
3 Tbsp apricot jam
1 Tbsp water

*To make the base:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/400°C/gas mark 6.
2. Mix flour and sugar in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two butter knives until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs.
3. In another bowl, gently mix egg yolks and vanilla. Add little by little into the flour mixture while tossing and mixing with a fork.
4. Press and squeeze the mixture into a ball (if needed sprinkle a few tablespoon of water). Wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Take the dough from the fridge and roll out into a 13-14 inch circle. Lay out on a 10-inch tart pan and trim the edges. Prick the base all over with fork.
6. Bake blind for 10 minutes. [To bake blind: cut parchment paper on tart base. Place baking beans or ceramic beans on top.]
7. Remove beans and parchment paper and bake again for about 7 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

*To make the pastry cream:

1. Boil milk in a saucepan. While waiting for it to froth over, mix egg yolks, flours, sugar, and vanilla in a heatproof bowl.
2. Once the milk boils, pour into the flour mixture in a thin stream while whisking constantly.
3. Transfer back into the saucepan and let simmer until thick while stirring all the time.
4. Remove from heat, put a moistened parchment paper on the surface (to prevent a film/crust from forming on top). Cool completely.

*To assemble:

1. Heat apricot jam and water in a saucepan. Strain and cool.
2. Spread the pastry cream evenly on the tart base. Arrange sliced fresh fruits on top.
3. Brush the apricot jam mixture on the fruits using a pastry brush. Serve.