Humble and comforting – apple tarts are a fail-safe winter dessert choice. Even more so when it’s the work of Melbourne-based pastry chef Rosemary Andrews, who’s followed her stint as head pastry chef at Attica Summer Camp with an in-demand home delivery service launched directly from her mouth-watering Instagram profile.
“I’ve found people really enjoy more simple, humble desserts these days, as opposed to having 10 or 11 layer elements,” says Andrews. “[They’re] more likely to lean back into classics – like an apple tart.”
Andrews has known she wanted to be a pastry chef since she was very young. “My grandmother was a really good baker,” she says. “And I've always loved Paris and French pastry art. I love seeing joy on people faces when you create a dessert.”
For her Spicy Envy Apple Tart, Andrews uses layers of spiced apple compote and almond cream topped with fresh Envy apples. Andrews says Envy apples are sweet, crisp and not too acidic, which means they stay white rather than discolouring during baking.
Envy apples also pair well with a multitude of spices. Andrew’s recipe calls for a classic mix of cinnamon, bay leaf, juniper and ginger, plus a dash of citrus zest for liveliness.
Andrews recommends using a sour-cream shortcrust pastry from Careme as the base. “Apple and sour cream work really well together,” she says. “It’s a very flaky pastry which is nice and versatile, so you can make an apple tart and then a pie for dinner another night – you don’t have any wastage.”
For budding pastry chefs attempting the tart at home, Andrew has a note of advice. “Work with your pastry cold,” she says. “Once you’ve lined the tart shell, freeze it – it will shrink and help it bake better.”
Rosemary Andrews’s spiced Envy apple tart
Serves 8–10
Preparation time: 2 hours
Cooking time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Ingredients:
Careme shortcrust pastry base
300g diced apples (about 4 each)
3-4 each apples for apple garnish
Finger lime jam, bay leaf anglaise or cream for garnish
Spiced apple compote filling
300g Envy apples
15g leatherwood honey
15g muscovado sugar
1 tbsp water
10g unsalted butter
3g juniper berries
2g ginger, micro-planed
2g ground cinnamon
1 vanilla bean, or 2g vanilla bean paste
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
1 bay leaf
2g brandy
Almond frangipane cream
100g unsalted butter, softened
100g caster sugar
100g eggs
3g vanilla paste
100g almond meal
40g hazelnut meal
20g plain flour
1 tsp dark brandy
A pinch of salt
3g toasted wattleseed powder
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
Method:
To start, spray tart tin with canola spray and place pre-made pastry from refrigerator onto a lightly dusted floured surface. Using your tart shell, cut a circle 2cm wider around the rim and line your tart case. Rest minimum one hour in freezer before blind baking.
Once rested, blind bake tart for 30 minutes at 160 degrees with blind baking rice. Remove baking paper and rice, then continue to bake until centre of bottom of the pastry is golden brown. As there is a second bake with the almond filling, look for a golden brown colour to darken more as the almond filling bakes in the last bake. Cool tart shells for 15 minutes once a deep golden colour.
Apple compote filling:
Wash apples and dice with skin on.
Add all compote ingredients except brandy to a small saucepan. Cook apples on a high heat for approximately 5 minutes or until softened. Keep stirring while the apples soften.
Once apples have turned glassy, deglaze with brandy and cool in fridge.
Almond frangipane cream:
Dice the softened butter into cubes and place in Kitchenaid with the caster sugar. Using the paddle attachment, mix on high speed till pale in colour and fluffy, about 1 minute.
Add vanilla and the eggs one by one, stopping the mixer and scraping down the sides of the bowl as you add each one.
Remove the mixing bowl from mixer. Fold through meal, flour and zest till combined.
Pipe into tart mould (or make previous day and leave in fridge).
Preparation and assembly:
Layer bottom of tart with the spiced apple mix until flat. Smooth over prepared cream filling. Bake at 160°C for 30 minutes or until golden brown – it should spring back to touch in centre.
Cool tart on a baking wire and set aside to decorate..
Wash and dry apples for garnish. Use a Catto sheet slicer (or sharp knife) to thinly slice the apples and decorate the tart to your preference.
Glaze the tart with finger lime jam (you can buy this online from an Australian bush tucker store) – or marmalade, caramel or any jam that suits your palate – for a shine. Serve warm with bay leaf anglaise or pair with cream.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Envy Apples. Envy Apples are grown on the Australian-owned-and-operated family business, Montague Orchards.
