Apple crumble and caramel tart
Try Matt Tebbutt’s cheffy twist on an apple crumble with homemade pastry, caramelised apples and an almond topping.
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 280g/10oz plain flour
- 230g/8oz unsalted butter
- 2 free-range egg yolks
- 115g/4oz icing sugar
- 1 lemon, zest only
- pinch salt
For the filling
- 200g/7oz caster sugar
- 6 Braeburn apples, peeled, cored and cut into 6 or 8 pieces
- 1 vanilla pod, split
- 400ml/14fl oz dulce de leche
For the topping
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú blanched almonds
- 60²µ/2¼´Ç³ú plain flour
- 40g/1½oz fine polenta
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú caster sugar
- 75g/2¾oz cold butter, grated
- 2 drops vanilla extract
To serve
- icing sugar, to dust
- clotted cream
Method
To make the pastry, add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend until it comes to a dough, wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for at least an hour. Remove from the fridge and roll out to 1cm thickness on a lightly floured surface and then line a 30cm/12in tart tin, chill in the fridge then blind bake for 20 minutes until pale golden in colour. Allow to cool.
To make the filling, heat a large sauté pan to hot and add the sugar to the dry pan, cook until you have a dark caramel. (CAUTION: boiling sugar is extremely hot. Handle very carefully. Use a deep pan to avoid bubbling over.)
Add the apples and vanilla and salt to the pan. Allow to stew a bit in the caramel to soften, around 10 minutes.
To assemble, fill the bottom of the baked tart shell with the dulce de leche followed by the caramel apples.
To make the topping, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Place the almonds in a small frying pan over a medium heat and toast until fragrant, then use a food processor to blend into a coarse crumb. Add to a bowl and mix with the flour, polenta and sugar. Use your fingertips to gently rub in the butter.
Spread over a baking tray and chill in the fridge until firm.
Break up the crumble, then bake for 30 minutes or so until golden brown. Crumble with your fingers and set aside.
When ready to serve, sprinkle the crumble topping over the assembled tart. Dust with icing sugar and serve with the clotted cream.