Apple Tart

For 6 people. Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 500 g / 1 lb 2oz short crust pastry — ready made if you want
• 1.5 kg/3 lb cooking apples such as Bramley or Granny Smiths
• 150-200 g / 5-7 oz sugar
• 4 tablespoons of blackcurrant jam
• 80 g / 3 oz unsalted butter
• A pastry tin 30 cm / 12 inch or what ever smaller individual sizes you want

Method

1. For the apple compote, heat the butter in a pan and add the apples, sugar. Cook over a moderate heat for about 20 minutes.
2. For the tart, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to make a 30 cm / 12 inch and leave to rest in the fridge for ten minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
4. Remove the pastry from the fridge and prick all over with a fork. Spoon some apple compote into the middle of the pastry, then fan the apple slices on top so that they overlap tightly over the compote and pastry like the spokes of a wheel.
5. Warm the blackcurrant jelly in a pan until it's warm and runny and using a pastry brush paint it over the tart.
6. Return to the oven and bake for a further 8-10 minutes, or until the apples are golden-brown. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for ten minutes.
7. To serve, place the tarts onto serving plates with vanilla ice cream or double cream.

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