The Sunday before last I was strolling through the La Cigale French Markets in Parnell and saw a bucket of orange pippin apples. I’ve never been so excited about seeing a particular variety of apples before. What made these apples so special to me was a tear sheet out of Vogue Entertaining & Travel of an Orange Pippen Apple tart recipe that I’ve been hording for years. Fifteen to be precise! While the recipe calls for orange pippin apples, I’ve never had any luck finding them and I’ve only ever made it with pink lady apples before.
So this Sunday I got to it. The result? Well I honestly can’t tell you if making this tart with orange pippin’s instead of pink lady apples truly make a difference because it’s been so long but it was really good. This tart is very rich and is certainly a dessert tart and would be perfect to accompany a lovely winter’s lunch.
Ingredients
250g unsalted butter, chilled
250g (1 2/3 cups plain flour)
4 orange pippin or pink lady apples
200g caster sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon dry sherry (I used port)
4 egg yolks
250ml double cream (in NZ I use clotted cream)
Icing sugar to dust
Method
Process 180g chopped butter with flour and pinch of salt in food processor until mixture resembles bread crumbles. Add 60ml (1/4 cup) iced water and process until mixture comes together. Form a disk and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roll pastry out on a lightly floured surface until 3mm thick and line a 24cm loose-bottom greased tart tin. Trim pastry on edges and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 190°c. Line pastry with baking paper and fill with dried beans or rice and blind-bake for 15 minutes, then remove beans and paper, and bake for a further 10 minutes or until pastry is dry and golden. Cool.
For filling, peel, core and cut each apple into 8 wedges. Heat remaining 70g butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add apples, scatter with 75g (1/3 cup) caster sugar, then drizzle with maple syrup. Cook the mixture, turning occasionally, for 12 minutes or until apples are tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove apples from pan, then simmer pan juices for 3 minutes or until caramelised.
Place apples in tart case, then spoon over caramel. Whisk remaining 125g sugar, sherry, yolks and cream to just combine. Pour over apples. Place tin on an oven tray and bake on the lowest shelf in the oven for 35 minutes or until set. Cool completely. Dust with icing sugar.
Bon appétit!
10 Comments
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I’m also fascinated by the many varieties of Apples there are and enjoy tasting the differences.
How nice you found THE specified variety but must say I’m not sure I would taste the difference once you’ve added all the ingredients.
Looks and am sure tastes magical.
xx
Me neither BUT it got me to make the tart again xx
Mel, you are so special! Fifteen years holding a recipe? You are my hero! Another reason we must meet soon! What a story! xo
I know it’s crazy isn’t it? Believe it or not but I’m not a hoarder! We must meet and we will! Mel xx
This is so sweet, Mel! I can almost taste it and my mouth is watering :) Isn’t it amazing how many different varieties of apples there are available? Nature is just amazing…so many blessings. I love to bake cakes and then give them to my neighbors…it always makes them so happy :) thank you for sharing this recipe, I will be sure to keep it in my collection! Hugs, Jocelyn xx
Oh I wish you were my neighbour Jocelyn. Wouldn’t that be fun! Mel xx
looks delicious and very dainty…how lovely to have a french themed market so close to home!
Thanks Anastasia. Yes, it’s great but must get there more often! Mel xx
yummy! i love your design selections as well as recipes mel!
visiting orchards is one of our favorite things to do! last fall we were at this orchard that had so many antique apple varieties, thomas jefferson’s favorite happened to be our fav too =)
That sounds like so much fun! I would love to visit an orchard and pick my own. Mel x