Recipe: French Apple Tart

This tart recipe is easier than you might think. It is even easier with the aid of the Smeg Hand Blender Food Processor attachment which did all the hard work for me.
You can adapt the base recipe for the Pastry and Frangipane filling and use with any type of fruit.

METHOD

Pastry:

1. Chop butter into chunks and add with all other ingredients except the water, into the bowl of the food processor attachment.
2. Process until a crumb like consistency is achieved.
3. Add enough water, a tablespoon at a time, briefly processing between additions, until the mixture starts to come together, then turn out and knead slightly.
4. Shape into a disc, cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
5. Roll out to 4mm thick and line a 20-22 cm loose bottom shallow flan dish.
6. Prick base of pastry and refrigerate for 30 minutes while you prepare the filling.

Frangipane Filling

1. Process butter and sugar in the bowl of the food processor till it is creamed.
2. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition.
3. Add almond meal and essences and process till the mixture is a thick creamy consistency.
4. Clean food processor bowl and replace the blade with the slicing attachment. Set the slicing to 2mm by rotating the adjustment dial at underneath the disc.
5. Take the unpeeled, halved and cored apples and slice.

Assembing the Tart 

1. Preheat oven using Bottom Heat +Fan 180C
2. Half fill the pastry with the frangipane filling.
3. Take slices of the apple, and starting from the outside, and moving inwards place the slices skin side upwards, overlapping each other around the outside edge of the tart, pushing the apple into the filling.  The apple slices will form a spiral pattern as you fill the tin in a circular fashion.
4. Place the tart on Shelf 2 ( near the bottom) and cook for 35-45 minutes, or until the filling is puffed and cooked through, and a skewer comes out clean when inserted.
5. In a saucepan, heat the apricot jam with a tablespoon of water and brush over top of tart .
6. Serve warm or cold.