Alex Crepy, of Amelie restaurant at The Grafton, Cambridge and Ben's Yard, Ely , is transported back to his childhood by a classic recipe of Apple Tart – tarte aux pommes.
The tart captures the very essence of French patisserie: simple yet elegant. They have a long history with origins dating back to ancient Rome. Indeed, the French word tarte itself is derived from the Latin torta, meaning twisted bread. Tarts were initially made with a variety of fillings including meats, fish and vegetables. Sweet tarts did not emerge until the Middle Ages when sugar became widely available.
Apples too have a long and celebrated history in French culinary tradition, tracking back to ancient times and evolving through the centuries into a staple of the French diet. The climate in many parts of France is well suited for apple growing, which helped to refine techniques about apple cultivation. Today, if you travel to Normandy, often called the Orchard of France, the beautiful landscape of densely wooded hills and dales is punctuated with apple trees used to make cider and calvados – this being a key ingredient in our tarte aux pommes (Apple Tart) recipe.
Here is the recipe for our Apple Tart or Tarte aux Pommes
Apple tart or Tarte aux pommes
Ingredients
125g butter
3 eggs
125g granulated sugar
2 tbsp Calvados, brandy or Armagnac, or omit if preferred
10 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut into 8 slices each
Shortcrust pastry:
250g flour
Pinch of salt
125g unsalted butter
1 egg
50ml water
Method
Make the pastry: Put the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and add the butter, cut into small cubes.Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Add the egg and the cold water and mix into the breadcrumb mixture until the dough is thoroughly combined.Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes before using.
On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough, about 2mm thick, and use to line a 30cm buttered tart tin.Trim the edges, prick the dough all over with a fork and then place some greaseproof paper inside and fill with pastry weights or baking beans.
Bake 'blind': In a pre-heated oven at 160°C, gas mark 3, for 30 minutes. Allow to cool.
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Beat the eggs with the sugar until the mixture becomes pale and foamy, then add the melted butter and Calvados and whisk again.
Arrange the apple slices inside the tart, overlapping each other, and pour the Calvados mixture over them.
Cook: In a pre-heated oven at 160°C, gas mark 3, for 25 minutes, or until set.
To serve: Cut into slices and serve with cream, ice cream, crème fraîche or with crème anglaise, either cold or warm.
Bon appétit!