MY KITCHEN IN SPAIN: POP THIS TART IN THE OVEN

Saturday, October 30, 2021

POP THIS TART IN THE OVEN

Apple Tart with raisins, pine nuts and honey glaze.

With electricity rates still sky-high, I take advantage of slightly lowered costs on the weekend to do a lot of cooking. If I’m turning on the (electric) oven to roast a chicken, I’m going to do some potatoes and cauliflower at the same time. What about the other oven rack? How about an easy apple tart?

Packaged puff pastry (hojaldre) needs no rolling out. The cinnamon-infused pastry cream can be made a day in advance, so the tart comes together in the time it takes to slice the apples.

Use any variety of apple for this tart.

Borders are puffed and crispy.

Apple Tart

Tarta de Manzana

You need about 2 cups sliced apples for this tart—3 small or 2 large apples or approximately ¾ pound. Peel them or not, as you prefer. Slice them thinly.

One sheet of frozen (thawed) puff pastry (about 8 ½ ounces) forms the crust. It can be square, rectangular or circular. (Mine was square.) Unroll or unfold the dough and place it, with the paper lining onto a baking sheet. You dont need to roll the dough thinner.

A honey glaze brushed on after baking gives the tart a burnished look.

A serrated slicer or a pizza-cutting wheel works well to slice the tart. Serve it with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. The tart is best the day it is made, as puff pastry doesn’t keep it’s crispness with storage.

Makes 8 slices.

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed if frozen

1 cup pastry cream with cinnamon (recipe below)

2 cups sliced apples

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Lemon juice

1 tablespoon pine nuts

1 tablespoon seedless raisins or sultanas

Pinch of fresh thyme leaves or fennel seeds (optional)

1 teaspoon butter or olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Unfold the sheet of puff pastry and place it on a baking sheet. Leaving a 1-inch border around the dough, prick the surface with a fork. Spread the pastry cream on the dough, leaving the borders uncovered.

Spread pastry cream, top with apples.

Combine the apples with cinnamon and ½ teaspoon lemon juice. Arrange the apples slices on top of the pastry cream as attractively as possible. Poke pine nuts and raisins around the apples. If desired, add a few thyme leaves or fennel seeds. Dot the tart with butter or drizzle with oil.

Bake the tart until the borders are puffed and browned, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven.

Brush on honey glaze.

Combine the honey and a few drops of lemon juice in a small bowl. Microwave on Medium for 15 seconds or until the honey is melted and thinned. Use a pastry brush to brush it on the apples.

Pastry Cream with Cinnamon

Crema Pastelera con Canela

The pastry cream can be prepared a day in advance of making the tart. Cover with plastic wrap pressed on to the surface of the cream so that it doesn’t form a crust and refrigerate. Stir smooth before using in the recipe.

You will need only half this quantity of pastry cream for the tart recipe. Save the remainder for another use such as cake filling, topping for fruit or pudding.

Makes about 2 cups of pastry cream.

¼ cup cornstarch

2 cups milk

2-inch cinnamon stick

Strip of lemon zest

3 egg yolks

½ cup sugar

Place the cornstarch in a bowl. Add ½ cup of the milk and stir until smooth.

Place the remaining milk, cinnamon stick and lemon zest in a pan. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from the heat. Skim out and discard the cinnamon and zest.

Add the yolks and sugar to the cornstarch-milk mixture and stir to combine well. Whisk in the hot milk. Return the milk-egg mixture to the pan. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens.