Simple, but spectacular!

Well, I think so anyway. What am I talking about? A perfectly made, Tartes fines aux pommes! An apple pie, you may say….well, yes but no! It is so much more than that. It is indeed a simple thing with relatively few ingredients. However, if every element is of the highest quality, then this tart really becomes something to savour. Probably, the key to success here is the homemade puff pastry. The buttery flakes along with the sharpness of the apples is a winning combination.

The thought of making your own pastry may not fill your heart with joy, however, if you have a morning at home, it really isn’t much of a hassle. Set your timer for 20mins, head to the fridge, roll it, turn it and repeat! Now, I think that’s possible for anyone? Plus the fact that it is incredibly rewarding! Just make sure you that you drop in that its homemade when everyone is raving about it! You will positively glow with pride.

Enjoy!

Photography by Paul Wilkinson Photography Ltd.

Puff pastry

Enough for a decent sized rectangle on which to place your sliced apples! Approx 12 x 8 inches

200g plain flour

200g butter

110ml cold water

15ml white wine vinegar

a pinch of salt

Put the flour into a bowl with the salt and rub in 20g of the butter with your fingertips. Make a well in the middle and pour in the water and vinegar. Gradually incorporate the flour and bring it together to form a ball. Wrap in clingfilm and let rest in the fridge. Flatten your butter using a rolling pin and a little flour to stop it from sticking. Put in the fridge/ freezer to harden.

Roll out your dough on a floured surface big enough so that you can place your square of butter at one end and fold over the rest of the pastry encasing the butter rather like an envelope. Rest for 10 minutes in the fridge.

For the 1st roll – Roll out the dough until doubled in length and fold the bottom up to the centre and the top down over it and give it a ¼ of a turn. Repeat the process then put back into the fridge for 20 minutes.

For the 2^nd roll – Take out of the fridge remembering which way the pastry was facing. Roll the pastry out and fold as before giving it another ¼ turn. Repeat the process and put back in the fridge for 20 minutes.

For the 3^rd roll – Take out of the fridge remembering which way the pastry was facing. Roll the pastry out and fold as before giving it another ¼ turn. Repeat the process put back in the fridge and rest for an hour. This will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Or freeze.

 

 

Tartes fines aux pommes

Makes 10 rectangular slices

1 quantity of Hampton Puff Pastry

6-8 apples (cox’s or braeburns work well)

40g butter

25g caster sugar

2tbsps of apricot jam

1tbsp rum

 

Method

Preheat oven to 200 C. Top oven of Aga

Melt the butter and sugar together in a pan and remove from the heat.

Peel,core and slice the apples and gently stir into the butter mixture until all the slices are coated. Be careful not to break the slices.

Roll out the puff pastry to the size of a 12inch X 8 inch rectangle. Trim the edges and cut into 10 rectangles.

Measure the jam and the rum into another pan and heat gently until the jam has melted.

Arrange the apple slices tightly onto the puff pastry. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until the pastry is puffed up and golden brown. Paint with the apricot glaze.

 

Schools out for Summer!!

You know the song, no more pencils, no more books….but for us parents out there it means more food, more time in the kitchen!  So I wanted to give you all an easy recipe you could whiz up in 5 minutes to feed the hungry hoards!  Well it’s got to be pasta to make those teenagers last until the next feed, and it’s got to be tomatoes, at this time of year they are in abundance.   So here’s the deal, six ingredients blended together add some fresh rocket and pasta and hey presto supper in seconds!

Pasta with a no cook sun blushed tomato sauce

Serves 2

15g basil

15g parsley

1 small garlic clove

1/2tsp salt

120g sun blushed tomatoes

100g tomatoes ie 1 large one

70g rocket

A squeeze of lemon

Freshly grated parmesan to serve

Fresh pasta for 2

Method

Start by blending the basil, parsley, garlic, salt, tomato and the sun blushed tomatoes.  Pour into a large bowl and set aside.  Roughly chop the rocket and add to the blended mixture.  Cook the pasta, drain reserving 20ml of the pasta water and pour the pasta plus the water into the bowl.  Mix thoroughly add a squeeze of lemon, check the seasoning and serve with some freshly grated parmesan.

Now for those of you who have a glut of tomatoes in your garden how about making your own sun blushed tomatoes?  It’s very easy, just pop the tomatoes on a tray and bake in the oven at 140C for 8 – 12 hours depending on the size.  I do this and then store them covered in oil in a tupperware container in the fridge, they will last for more than a week.