Apple Tart with apple butter

Ingredients

Sweet shortcrust pastry

• 200g plain flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar
• 100g cold unsalted butter, cut
• into cubes
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons water

Apple butter and topping

• 4 ‘Granny Smith’ apples, peeled, core
• removed and roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar
• 100g butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 8 red apples (any red variety), core
• removed and thinly sliced
• ¼ cup apricot jam, for glazing

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C, fan-forced. To make the pastry, in a food processor blend the flour, salt, sugar and butter until they resemble breadcrumbs. Lightly whisk the egg and water together and add to the food processor with the motor running. As soon as the pastry starts to form a ball, stop blending and wrap in cling wrap, shaping into a disc and place into the fridge for an hour. Roll out the pastry between two sheets of non-stick baking paper until 3mm in thickness, then line a 26cm fluted removable base tart tin with the pastry (paper removed), trimming the edges. Place into the freezer for 1 hour. Line with non-stick baking paper and fill with pastry weights or rice and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the weights and paper and place back into the oven for a further 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Allow to cool.

To make the apple butter, place the ‘Granny Smith’ apples and water into a medium-sized saucepan. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until the apple is soft. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Crush the softened apples with the back of a fork and stir through the butter and ground cinnamon. Allow to cool. To assemble the tart, spread the apple butter evenly over the pastry base. Top with an overlapping layer of the sliced, red apples and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until apples are tender. Meanwhile, melt the jam in a small saucepan over a low heat. Strain though a fine sieve into a bowl. Brush evenly over the warm apples. Serve with cream or ice-cream.