Apple Crumble Tarts and Caravan Travel

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Apple Crumble Tarts and Caravan Travel

During Easter and on some long weekends, my parents towed the caravan to Kiama. The south coast of New South Wales in Australia, is a cool and rainy place in March and April .  In the confined space of the caravan my three sisters and I tended to get on each others nerves. There was a bit of pulling hair and a lot of pushing! I remember the dampness and the condensation on small caravan windows, and the sound of the waves hitting a deserted and soggy beach.

The car must have seemed the only respite for them, although 4 children in the back of a car hardly encourages peace. Pinching and elbowing  were common. A very homely bakery at Warilla Mall often proved a relief for them……..our mouths were stuffed and hands occupied.

Even now , so many years after growing up, I can remember what each  person in my family liked. My Mother always loved cream buns, my older sister a vanilla slice the middle sister a neenish tart and the youngest, a sausage roll, Dad always had things we considered to be disgusting like rum balls or marzipan. My weakness was Apple Tarts, and still is, I always feel like Apple Tarts.  The specimens sold at Warrilla Mall were the sort that had pale anaemic pastry on the bottom and apples that were diced, but I was yet to try any thing more upmarket.

This excursion always concluded in K-Mart where we tried our hardest to talk one of our parents into buying us anything….. which never happened

Last week when I was at Brasserie Bread ,  and was inspired by their little apple crumble tarts, the up market version of my childhood visits to Warrilla Mall.

There was never a question that I would cook some of my own.

I was asked to make morning tea for a sales meeting , so this is what they got. My Apple Crumble Tarts, inspired by Brasserie Bread.

Fresh tangy apple and crunchy shortbread crumbs , Yum.

Apple Crumble Tarts

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These little tarts have the beauty of both worlds. An apple pie and a crunchy crumble.

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Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine Australian, Baking

Servings 6

Ingredients

Unit:MetricUS Imperial

• 180 gram butter softened
• 40 gram icing sugar pure, sifted
• 2 whole egg yolks large
• 350 gram plain flour
• 50 gram almond meal
• 25 ml water approx 1 Tblsp

Crumble topping

• 120 gram brown sugar
• 120 gram butter diced
• 160 gram flour

Apple filling

• 3 whole apples medium tart, peeled, diced
• 40 ml water 2 Tablespoons
• 1 teaspoon lemon Juice
• 40 gram caster sugar granulated, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or a vanilla bean

Instructions

1. Oven 180 C/ 350 F

Apple filling

1. Prepare the apples by tipping into a saucepan with the sugar, water,vanilla and juice. Simmer on very low with the lid on until the apples are soft enough to mash with a fork. Taste, for sweetness (add sugar) or tartness (add lemon juice).Pour into a container and refrigerate to cool.

To make the pastry.

1. Beat the butter and icing sugar (powdered sugar) in a mixer till light and creamy
2. Add the yolks and beat in.
3. Stop the mixer and add the flour, almond meal. Only add just 1/2 of the water if necessary. It will only need the extra water if the mixture is dry and crumbly.
4. Mix on very low, until just combined. ( Only If the mixture looks quite dry add the remaining water). Pour on to a bench and push together. The dough should be soft and pliable but not too wet. Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate.
5. Once firm and chilled, roll out to fit 6-8 individual tart cases or 1x 23 cm case. Put back into the fridge to Cool again. 20 minutes.
6. Blind bake the pastry filled with pie weights or beans. Approx 15 min. Remove the paper and beans and bake till golden, approximately 10 minutes .

For the crumble.

1. Put all the ingredients in the food processor and blitz until just starting to combine. A dry mixture will produce a very dry crumble, so make sure it is buttery and sticking together in clumps.
2. Spread the apple into the bottom of the tart case, cover with crumble and pop back into the oven and cook until lightly brown

Brasserie Bread 1737 Botany Rd
Banksmeadow
NSW 2019

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