Apple Tartlets 2017

Wotchers!

After six years I decided to revisit the Apple Rose Tarts I created for Season 2 of The Great British Bake Off.

These are essentially the same tarts, but with a bit of a make-over for the apple decoration. Looking less like roses, but still with a floral semblance, these variations are formed from a swirl of poached apple slices on top of a set apple compote.

You can, of course, use the filling from the originals, but this simplified variation means that these tarts can be prepped in advance, and then assembled just before serving, something that was possible, but rather tricky, with the rose tarts.

I also experimented with using puff pastry. The above shells were created by draping puff pastry over the back of a star-shaped tart tin. The shell on the left was made from pastry cut with a six-petalled cutter. The form on the right was made using a large circular piece of pastry. In order to ensure they kept their shapes, a second tin ‘sandwiched’ the pastry inside, and a wire rack place on top to hold them in place. They were baked at 220°C, 200°C Fan for 15 minutes.

Apple Tartlets

Apple Compote
600g Bramley apples
4tbs water
200g caster sugar
juice of 1 lemon

sweet shortcrust pastry, cornflour pastry or ready-rolled puff pastry
red-skinned dessert apples as required
1 litre apple juice
250g caster sugar
red food colouring (optional)

• Use the pastry to line and fully bake whichever tartlet shells you prefer.
• Allow to cool on a wire rack.
• When cooled, if not using immediately, store in an airtight container until required.
• Peel, core and chop the Bramley apples.
• Put them in a saucepan with the water and lemon juice. Cover and simmer over medium low heat until they become fluffy.
• Stir briskly to remove any lumps, then add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
• Continue to simmer until the mixture has thickened. Set aside.
• Prepare the dessert apples. If you have a mandolin that can cut 2mm slices, core the apples and slice them with that. You will need to cut these slices in half before using them. Otherwise, cut the apples in half from top to bottom, remove the core and cut into exceedingly thin, semicircular slices, 2mm if possible.
• Pour the apple juice into a saucepan and submerge the apple slices as you cut them , to prevent discolouration.
• Simmer the apple slices gently for 10 minutes or until tender – You need the apples to be soft enough so that you can roll them, but not so soft as to fall apart.
• Lift the apple slices from the syrup with a slotted spoon and allow to drain/cool in a sieve.
• When cool enough to handle, lay out the apple slices as follows.

• The slices should be laid exceedingly close together, so there is only about 3mm of each slice visible.
• The overall length of the strip of apple slices needs to be at least 15cm in order to be curled round into a form that will sit inside a single, cupcake-sized pastry shell.
• Cover the strips of apple slices until required.
• Add the sugar to the apple juice and stir until dissolved.
• Simmer over medium heat, until the juice has thickened into a syrup.
• Add a little red gel food colouring to tint the syrup, if liked.
• To assemble the tarts:
  • Warm the apple compote and spoon 1-2 tablespoons into each pastry case. Allow to cool. As it cools, it will firm up and give support to the apple decoration.
  • For each strip of apple slices:
    • Lift the strip from the board and stand it on the flat base of the slices.
    • Curl one end of the strip around in a circle until it meets the other end of the strip.
    • Check whether the form is small enough to fit into the pastry shell. If not, ease the slices round into a tighter circle.
    • Place the curled slices into the pastry shell. Keep a hold of the form with one hand until you’re sure it has all fitted inside. A cocktail stick is handy here for tucking in the ends of any sticking-out slices.
    • When everything is tucked inside, you can stop holding the form, as the pastry case will support it.
    • Use the cocktail stick, if necessary, to tweak the apple slices into place. I particularly like the subtle variations in the finished patterns, depending on the number and curl of the apple slices – see below.
    • Brush the apple slices generously with the apple syrup, and serve.

In case you missed it:

This week on DejaFood.uk: Jane Newton’s mini chicken & bacon pies!