dutch apple tart

Lovely biscuity pastry, and luscious cinnamon flavoured apples give your mouth and nose a treat - this tart also looks fantastic, and is pretty easy to make.

Ingredients

Pastry

1 egg

2 cups/250g self-rising flour

2/3 cup/150g butter chopped up small

½ cup/90g brown sugar

A pinch of salt

Zest of 1/2 lemon

Filling

Two handfuls/150g of sultanas

1 tbsp brandy or other alcohol (use juice or water if you prefer)

2 lb/850g tart apples

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Heaped tablespoon brown sugar (50 g)

2 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tbsp corn flour

Equipment

Loose based or springform tin, 20cm/8”

Two good sized bowls

Method

• Soak the sultanas in the liquid of your choice for at least an hour – or heat in pan or microwave to speed things up, set aside.
• Set oven to 180C/350F
• Butter sides of the tin generously, and line the base with baking parchment. If you don’t have baking parchment butter the base and flour it, shaking out the excess
• Put the flour into a large bowl, with the chopped butter, lemon zest and brown sugar
• Whisk the egg, hold back about a tablespoon, and add the rest to the flour and butter
• Knead dough, using a stand mixer with a dough attachment, or use your hands, until the dough comes together into a ball. Set aside for 20 minutes, while you peel and prepare the apples.
• Peel and core the apples, cut them into pieces (about 1.5cm square, no need for precision)
• In another bowl mix with the sultanas, lemon juice, the remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar, and spices
• Sprinkle the corn flour over and stir to cover the apples with spices and sugar and mix in the sultanas
• Use 3/4 of the dough to cover the bottom and sides of the dish, you can roll it out on a well floured board, or flatten it out and press the dough into place, nudging it along
• Add the apple mixture to the pie dish and firmly press down
• Use the rest of the dough to make the lattice topping, dividing it into five bits, rolling each one into a ‘snake’ and flattening it. Three strips one way and two the other, pressing them into the sides and trimming them so nothing hangs over the edge
• Brush the lattice pastry with the egg and bake for around an hour, until the apples are tender

Serves 8

I use Bramleys if possible, and serve the pie cold. Eat with cream or ice cream, or on its own.