Transylvanian Apple Tart.

Transylvanian Apple Tart | Time To Cook - Online:

Makes 1 x 24cm tart

Filling
750g Bramley apples – 3 large
50g chopped prunes
4-5tbs caster sugar
5tbs dark rum

Peel, core and slice the apples.
Put the apples and the res of the ingredients into a pan and toss to coat.
Cover and heat gently until the apples start to soften.
Remove from the heat, stir again, cover and set aside to cool.
Pastry
180g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
75g sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
90g unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 200°C, 180°C Fan.
When the apples have cooled, put all the pastry ingredients into a food processor and blitz to breadcrumbs.
Grease and line a 24cm tart tin or spring-form pan with baking parchment.
Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and press lightly into the bottom and sides. The sides should stand about 4cm high.
Add the cooled apple filling and smooth.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Custard topping
30g unsalted butter – softened
40g caster sugar
2 large eggs

While the tart is baking, whisk the above ingredients together.
Remove the tart from the oven and pour over the custard mixture.
Jiggle the tin a little to make sure all the spaces are filled.
Return the tart to the oven for a further 10 minutes or until the custard is golden brown and just set.

To finish.
Remove the tart from the oven and sprinkle whilst hot with a further 2-3tbs rum.
Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool fully on a wire rack.

"If we dial back a bit along the apple tart continuum from the elegance of Monsieur Conticini’s creation, we would come to a place into which the Transylvanian Apple Tart would slot very well. Its still very much recognisable as an apple tart, but with a few tweaks and additions to make it intriguing:

The use of a raising agent in the pastry – after baking, it’s closer to a shortcake than a pastry and wonderfully light and crumbly.
The addition of an unusual dried fruit – in this case, chopped prunes (raisins!).
Admittedly, it might not be prunes at all, I suspect it having got a little scrambled in translation, but prunes is what I used and very delicious it turned out, so I’m going to run with it.
The buttery custard that brings everything together – added after the tart is mostly baked, when the majority of the fruit juice has evaporated during cooking, it adds a richness to the filling without causing a dreaded soggy bottom pastry.
The generous slosh of alcohol – rum (or any what you like)!"
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