February recipe: Apple lattice tart

Apple lattice tart

Apples are generally associated with late summer and autumn, and indeed the peak of the English apple season is in September and October. However, many apple varieties, especially cooking apples, store for several months, and so some apple varieties are effectively in season all winter.

This pretty apple tart can be made with any variety of cooking apples, so it can be enjoyed right through the autumn and winter. Here’s the recipe.

Apple lattice tart

Pastry

4 oz (approx 125 g) strong plain flour

1 Tablespoon (1 x 15 ml spoon) icing sugar

2 oz (approx 50 g) butter

1.5 oz (approx 35 g) lard

Filling

1 lb (approx 450 g) cooking apples

2 Tablespoons (2 x 15 ml spoon) golden syrup

Juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon (1 x 5 ml spoon) ground cinnamon

Grease a shallow flan dish about 7 to 8 inches (about 18 to 20 cm) in diameter.

Peel and core the cooking apples. Chop into chunks about half an inch (approx 1-1.5 cm) cubed.

Put the apple chunks, lemon juice, golden syrup and cinnamon in a saucepan. Cover and cook gently for about 15 minutes (the time will vary according to the apple variety) until the apples are soft.

Rub the butter and lard into the flour and icing sugar until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Add about a tablespoon (about 15 ml) of cold water and mix with a knife. The mixture will start to stick together. Squash it into a ball of dough.

Cut off about a quarter of the dough and set aside.  Roll out the other three-quarters into a circle and line the flan dish.

Spread the cooked apples in the pastry case.

Roll out the remaining pastry and cut into strips.  Lay the strips crosswise on top of the apple filling to form a lattice.

Bake in a hot oven at about 190 C for about 30-35 minutes until the pastry is golden.

Serve hot or cold, with natural yoghurt, cream or ice cream.

I normally expect to get 6 slices out of this quantity, but it depends how big a slice you like.

Note that the pastry is quite firm when cold, but when hot the pastry is very crumbly and will tend to fall apart.  If you’re serving the tart in a situation where you need it to stay in neat slices when cut, I recommend serving it cold!

If there is any left over the tart will keep for several days at room temperature.  I’ve never tried freezing it.