Raymond Blanc’s Apple Tart ‘Maman Blanc’

Serves: 6

"I love organic food because I know that the food on my plate has come from a farmer who practises healthy and sustainable agriculture. Sun a farmer will be someone who shares my own ethical values and helps me to reconnect with my own food culture and traditions. In my book, Maman Blanc makes the best apple tart, and the secret of this dish is choosing the right apples. For an equally delicious fruit tart, simply substitute the apples for plums, apricots or cherries, and follow the same recipe."

Raymond Blanc’s Apple Tart ‘Maman Blanc’ Recipe: Veggie

Ingredients
Method

Ingredients:

For the pastry dough

250g plain flour

125g unsalted butter, diced

pinch of sea salt

1 medium free-range egg

1 tsp cold water

For the filling

15g unsalted butter

½ tbsp lemon juice

65 g caster sugar

½ tbsp Calvados (optional)

3–4 Cox’s Orange Pippin, Worcester, Russet or Braeburn apples, peeled, cored and cut into 10 segments per apple

100ml double cream

1 medium free-range egg

1–2 tbsp icing sugar, for dusting

method:

To make the pastry, use a food processor to pulse together the flour, butter and salt until you reach a sandy texture. Add the egg and water, and pulse again.
Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead with the palms of your hands for 30 seconds, or until the dough is smooth and well combined.
With the palm of your hand flatten the dough to 1cm thick, then sandwich it between two large sheets of clingfilm. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7 and place a baking tray into the oven to preheat.
Roll out the chilled dough, while still sandwiched in clingfilm, to a 2mm thickness.
Place a 22cm diameter, 2cm deep tart ring on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Remove the top layer of clingfilm then carefully turn the dough over and drape it into the tart ring with the second layer of cling film facing up.
Press the dough fully into the ring then discard the clingfilm. Trim off any excess dough.
Press and pinch with your fingers to raise the height of the dough edges to 2 mm above the tart ring.
With a fork, prick the bottom of the tart. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling by heating the butter, lemon juice and 15g of the sugar in a small saucepan until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the Calvados. Set aside.
When the tart case has chilled, arrange the apple segments in concentric circles, overlapping the slices as you go then brush the apples all over with the Calvados mixture.
Slide the tart ring onto the preheated baking tray and bake for 10 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 200C/400F/Gas 6, then continue to cook for a further 20 minutes, until the pastry is pale golden brown and the apples have caramelised.
Whisk together the double cream, egg and the remaining 50g caster sugar. Pour into the tart and bake for a further 10 minutes until the cream mixture has just set.
To serve, remove the tart from the oven and set aside for one hour to cool slightly, then carefully remove the tart ring. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.