FOOD FRIDAY - APPLE BUTTERSCOTCH TART

“Autumn’s the mellow time.” - William Allingham

We have had a lovely autumn day, fine and warm, sunny and very pleasant. The people in the street seemed relaxed, happy that it was Friday. This evening it’s still very mild but as the sun goes down the temperature also falls, ensuring that we have a cool night that will make for a good sleep. We are enjoying the bounties of Autumn: The last well-ripened tomatoes, grapes, apples, plums and other stone fruit, new season’s nuts. What better way to celebrate the autumn weather and the harvest than with an Apple Butterscotch Tart?

Apple Butterscotch Tart

Ingredients

3 sheets frozen shortcrust pastry, thawed

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup golden syrup

30g butter

1⁄3 cup plain flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

10 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, sliced

1 egg, lightly beaten

4 tsp caster sugar

Method

Grease a 20cm springform pan. Cut 1 sheet of pastry into 4 strips, lengthways. Place a strip along each edge of second pastry sheet, pressing lightly to join, to make one large square. Ease prepared pastry into pan, pressing into base. Trim edges. Prick pastry with fork and chill for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place brown sugar, golden syrup and butter in a large saucepan. Stir on low heat until melted and smooth. Simmer for 2 minutes.

Place flour and spices in a large bowl. Add apple, toss to coat. Add to syrup. Stir to coat.

Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apples are just tender.

Preheat oven to 180°C or 160°C fan. Line shell with non-stick baking paper. Fill with rice or pie shells. Blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove rice (or shells) and paper, bake for a further 5 minutes.

Spoon apples into pastry shell. Using a 4 cm round cutter, cut about 30 rounds from remaining pastry. Starting from the outside edge of the pie, arrange rounds, overlapping slightly, over apple filling. Brush pastry lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle over caster sugar. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden and crisp. Serve the apple tart in wedges with vanilla ice-cream.

Bon Appétit!

This post is part of the Food Friday meme.