*Spiced Apple Crostata*
Serves 6
Crisp sweet pastry encases a free form sweet apple tart, topped with a spiced buttery crumb. Delicious! For the pastry: 140g of plain flour (1 cup) 2 TBS caster sugar 8 TBS unsalted butter 2 TBS ice water For the filling: 3 large eating apples For the topping: 35 grams of plain flour (1/4 cup) 50g of caster sugar (1/4 cup) pinch salt 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground cardamom 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg pinch cloves 4 TBS unsalted butter, diced To finish: a dusting of icing sugar First make the pasty. Measure the flour and sugar into the bowl of a food processor. Blitz a few seconds. Drop in the butter. Pulse 12 to 15 times until the butter in the mixture is about the size of small peas. Add the water all at once. and pulse continuously until the dough starts to come together. Dump out onto a floured board and shape into a round flat disk. Wrap in plastic cling film and chill for half an hour. While the dough is chilling make the topping. Put all of the ingredient into the food processor and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Dump into a small bowl and using your fingertips squeeze bits together into clumps. Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Have ready a large baking sheet. Peel, core and cut the apples into bite size chunks. Set aside. Roll the pastry out between two pieces of cling film to an 11 inch circle. Peel off the top piece of cling film and transfer the pastry to the baking sheet, removing the cling film. Scatter the apple bits in the centre of the pasty, leaving a one and a half inch border all around, and piling them up a bit in the centre if necessary. Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the apples to cover rustically. Gently fold the pastry border up over the apples along the edges, pleating it decoratively. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, cover with some foil and bake for about 15 minutes longer, until nicely browned, and the pastry is crisp, and the apples are cooked. Allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. |