- For the sweet pastry (makes enough for 4x 26cm tarts or 18-20 individual tarts):
- 225g unsalted butter
- 170g caster sugar
- 4 free range egg yolks plus 1 for glazing
- 4tbs cold water
- 110g cornflour
- 335g soft plain flour
- 5g Maldon sea salt, finely ground
- For the toffee filling:
- 350g double cream
- 2g Maldon sea salt
- 1 strip of lemon zest, removed with a peeler
- 100g caster sugar
- 50g golden syrup
- lemon juice to taste
- 25ml milk
- 5g leaf gelatine soaked in cold water
- For the apple:
- 10g butter
- 2 sharp apples, peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges
- 20g caster sugar
- 30ml apple juice
- To serve:
- 60g clotted cream
- Westlands apple blossom
- Westlands primula flowers
Toffee apple tart with clotted cream, Westlands apple blossom and primula flowers
Ingredients
Method
For the sweet pastry:
Cream the butter and caster sugar together. Beat until the mixture starts to go pale. Combine the 4 egg yolks and the water and beat gradually into the butter mix. Mix the flours and the salt and sift onto the butter mix. Use a rubber spatula to fold the flour in; you are aiming for dough that is homogenous but has been worked as little as possible. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and bring together into a cylinder. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes. Use a third of the pastry to line 6 individual loose bottomed tart tins. Chill the tins and then blind bake at 160℃ for approximately 10 minutes until the pastry is golden brown on the edges. Remove the baking beans and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. When the pastry is a light golden brown, mix the remaining egg yolk with a little water and brush a thin coat onto the pastry. Return to the oven for 1 minute and repeat. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
For the toffee filling:
Heat the cream to a simmer with the salt and lemon zest. Heat the sugar and golden syrup in a heavy based pan over a medium heat to form a medium caramel. Shake the pan occasionally but avoid stirring. Carefully add the hot cream to the caramel and continue to cook until the caramel is completely dissolved. At this stage you can stir to help the caramel dissolve. Adjust the taste with lemon juice. Warm the milk and dissolve the soaked gelatine in it. Whisk into the toffee sauce.
Pass into a bowl and chill whisking every 15 minutes for an hour. Spread the filling into the pastry cases and chill to set.
For the apple:
Heat the butter in a non stick pan and add the apple, sprinkle over the caster sugar. Cook, turning frequently until well caramelised. Add the apple juice to dissolve the caramel and then reduce completely.
To serve:
Remove the tarts from the fridge 15 minutes before serving. Pile the warm apple onto one side of each tart and quenelle the cream onto the other side. Scatter the Westlands apple blossom over the apple and place a couple of Westlands primula flowers between the apple and the cream.
In these challenging times…
The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.
Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.
A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.
Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.
