I did two versions of this. Both looked and tasted great, but the cinnamon apple blossom was spectacular, like a healthy cinnamon roll.
Ideally you will possess a mandolin. If you don’t, please buy one. It will make you look like a pro in the kitchen in so many ways; from finely cut slices of potato for a gratin dauphinois to skinny shavings of parmesan, carrot or cucumber for salads or stir-fries. I buy a green plastic brand from Japan. Remember to use the finger guard though.
For both tarts you’ll need to slice the apples on the mandolin. I prepared a bowl of acidulated water (cold water with lemon juice) to prevent browning, cored the apples, and cut them in quarters. I left the skin on as I liked the pretty pink/red showing at the edges.
You can try slicing them thinly by hand but trust me, the mandolin makes it easier.
Salted Caramel Apple blossom cinnamon tarts
Ingredients
- 4 Pink Lady or Royal Gala apples, cored, cut into quarters, sliced thinly into half moons
- 1 lemon, squeezed
- 1 pack all butter readymade puff pastry 320g, on a roll, cut into 8 strips about 6 cms long
- 1 or 2 tbsp cinnamon, ground
- 1 jar salted caramel, or make your own
- pinch maldon salt
- 2 or 3 tbsp icing sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the apple slices and put them into a large bowl of cold water with the squeezed lemon
- Microwave the apples for 3 to 5 minutes until soft enough to bend slightly but not cook them.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºc
- Roll out the puff pastry. Divide into 8 sections by cutting the rol into quarters then halving each quarter. You will end up with 8 approximately 6 cm strips
- Dust the pastry strip with ground cinnamon
- Spread the salted caramel over the strips with the back of a spoon or butter knife
- Lay the apple slices along the top of the pastry strip, overlapping them. The skin side of the half moon poking over the top of the pastry strip and the straight side in the pastry
- Sprinkle the apple/pastry strips with extra sea salt
- Fold the bottom half of the pastry strip over the top half, leaving the half moons of apple sticking out the top.
- Roll up the folded pastry strips until they look like a rose made of apple at the top
- Place 'rose' side up, in a cupcake tin
- Repeat until all are done and bake for 20 -30 minutes.
- Using a tea strainer or small sieve, sprinkle with icing sugar.
This next recipe is good for a larger tart to be shared.
Rose apple tart
Ingredients
- 4 or 5 Pink Lady/Royal Gala or any firm red apples, cored, cut into quarters, sliced/mandolined into thin slices
- 1 lemon, squeezed
- 225 g shortcrust pastry, on a roll or home made
- 100 ml apple puree/creme patisserie/apricot jam
- apricot jam with a few drops of water, for glazing
- 1 tbsp icing sugar, use a tea strainer as a sieve
Instructions
- Prepare the apple slices and leave in a large bowl of cold water with the juice of 1 lemon to prevent browning.
- Microwave the apples until just soft enough to bend slightly (about 3 to 5 minutes)
- Grease and flour a 22 to 24cm tart tin.
- Roll or press the shortcrust pastry into the tart tin.
- On the bottom of the pastry add either apple puree/apricot jam or creme patisserie.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºc
- Then starting from the outside, stand up the apple half moons, slightly overlapping, around the edge and gradually work inwards. This takes a while but listen to a podcast or Radio 4 while you are doing it. Sit yourself down. Get comfortable.
- When you get to the middle, use the thinnest apple slices, bending them into a rosebud shape.
- Brush diluted apricot jam over the apple slices
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes
- Dust with icing sugar
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