Caramel Apple Crumble Tart

Wotchers!

Here’s a recipe I came up with for a charity a couple of years ago. Seeing as the weather has been a bit on the brisk side lately, I thought it would be the ideal treat to enjoy all snug and cosy on a Sunday afternoon. Or at 11pm, straight from the fridge. Your call.

It’s a tart of contrasts: crumbly pastry, crunchy oats, rich caramel and sharp apples. I love it!

And with a tin of caramel in the cupboard, it comes together in just a few minutes.

Probably gone is as many, too.

Short and sweet. Like this post.

To the recipe!

Caramel Apple Crumble Tart

Pastry
112g plain flour
30g cornflour
40g icing sugar
70g butter
zest of ½ lemon
1 large egg
egg-whites for glazing

Filling
30g butter
3 Bramley Apples
1 tin homemade Banoffi Pie filling (method here) or 1 x 397g tin of Carnation Caramel

Crumble
20g butter
20g lard
20g Demerera sugar
60g plain flour
Pinch of salt
40g steel rolled oats

• Make the pastry:
  • Put all of the pastry ingredients except the egg into the bowl of a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
  • Whisk the egg, then gradually add to the mixture while the motor is running until the mixture comes together in a ball.
  • Tip out the pastry and knead a little until smooth.
  • Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
  • Grease a 20cm loose-bottomed tart tin.
  • Roll the pastry out thinly, about 5mm.
  • Line the tart tin with the pastry, easing it gently into the sides of the tin. Do not trim the excess pastry, but let it hang over the sides of the tin.
  • Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 200°C, 180°C Fan.
  • Remove the tart tin from the fridge and prick the base of the pastry with a fork, to prevent blistering.
  • Line the tin with parchment and pour in some baking beads/beans/rice.
  • Blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes.
  • Remove the tin from the oven and lift out the parchment paper and its contents.
  • Return the tin to the oven for another 5 minutes to allow the pastry to finish baking. If the edges of the pastry seem to be browning too much, cover them with foil.
  • Brush the inside of the pastry with whisked egg white and return to the oven for three minutes to dry. Set aside.
• Make the crumble:
  • Put the butter, lard, sugar and flour into a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  • Tip the mixture into a bowl and stir in the oats and salt. Set aside.
• Make the filling:
  • Peel the apples and cut each into 8 slices.
  • Remove the core and chop each slice into chunks – about 5-6 per slice.
  • Melt the butter in a pan.
  • Add the chunks of apple and cook gently over a moderate heat until the apples have softened and any juice has evaporated. NB Bramley apples WILL reach a point where they just collapse in a pile of fluff if you cook them fully. You need to stop before this happens. They will continue cooking in the oven, so don’t worry about making them soft, it’s making sure the excess juice evaporates that is important here, otherwise you’ll get soggy pockets of apple in your tart.
  • Add the caramel and stir gently until thoroughly combined and warmed through.
• Assemble the tart:
  • Pour the caramel and apple filling into the pastry shell and smooth over.
  • Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top.
  • If you’ve not already done so, cover the edges of the tart with foil to prevent them from becoming too brown.
  • Return the tart to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the crumble topping is crisp and golden.
  • Cool in the tin for ten minutes.
  • Trim the pastry edges neatly with a sharp, serrated knife, then carefully remove the tart from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
  • Serve warm or chilled, with cream.