Apple Almond Rose Tartlets Food

QUICK CARAMELIZED APPLE TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. On a floured work surface, roll the puff pastry into a 12-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick. Invert a 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over the pastry. Using the skillet as a guide, cut a 10-inch round of pastry. Transfer to a plate and chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the apples.
• Heat the same skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter and then sprinkle over the sugar and add the apples on top. Once the sugar begins to melt, adjust the heat so the juices bubble rapidly. Cook, stirring, until the apples are tender and juices are light golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Using a fork, nudge the apples into 2 concentric circles (it doesn't have to be perfect) in the skillet. Top with the chilled pastry round and tuck the edges in. Gently prick the pastry in 4 or 5 places with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees F, until the pastry is puffed and light golden. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake until the pastry is a deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let sit 10 minutes.
• To unmold, place a serving plate over the skillet and quickly but carefully flip the pan. The tart will unmold onto the plate, and if a few apple slices stick to the pan, return them to the tart. Let cool at least 20 minutes before serving to allow the syrup to sink into the tart. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

QUINCE AND ALMOND TART WITH ROSé

Steps:

• Make the poaching liquid: In a large saucepan or small Dutch oven, combine the rosé, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon stick, star anise, salt, and cocktail bitters (if using). Use a vegetable peeler to remove wide strips of lemon zest (just the yellow layer, avoiding the white pith) and add to the pan. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze both halves into the pan, seeds and all (discard the lemon halves). Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring once or twice to dissolve the sugar, then remove from the heat.
• Prepare the quince: Working with one quince at a time, use a sharp knife to shave off the ends of the quince and then use a vegetable peeler to peel the fruit. Set aside the peels in a bowl and reserve for later. Halve the quince through the stems and use a melon baller or round teaspoon measure to scoop out the seeds and cores, adding them to the peels in the bowl. As you work, drop each peeled and scooped quince half into the poaching liquid.
• Poach the quince: Once all the quince are in the poaching liquid, add water to the pan if needed just to cover the fruit. Press a round of parchment paper onto the surface of the liquid, eliminating any air bubbles, then place a small plate on top-this will keep the quince fully submerged as they poach. Bring the mixture to a lively simmer over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook until the quince are tender but not mushy and a paring knife slides easily through the flesh, as little as 25 minutes for very ripe fruit but possibly as long as 1 hour. Check the quince every 10 minutes or so. Remove the pan from the heat and let the quince cool in the liquid until warm.
• Make the quince jelly: Use a slotted spoon to remove the quince from the poaching liquid and transfer to a cutting board to continue to cool. Dump the reserved skins, seeds, and cores into the poaching liquid and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is very thick and syrupy and the bubbles are slow to pop, 20 to 25 minutes. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl. Press on the solids with a heatproof spatula to force as much liquid through the sieve as possible (discard the solids). You should have about ⅔ cup liquid. If you have much more than this, transfer the strained liquid to a small saucepan and simmer until it's reduced to the right amount. Due to all the natural pectin in the seeds and peel of the quince, this liquid will solidify into a soft jelly when chilled. Cover and refrigerate the jelly.
• Slice the quince: Cut the quince halves crosswise into thin slices between ¼ and ⅛ inch thick. If preparing the quince ahead of time, set them on a plate, cover, and refrigerate.
• Preheat the oven and prepare the skillet: Arrange an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly brush the bottom and sides of a 10-inch ovenproof skillet with a thin coating of oil. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper, smoothing to eliminate any air bubbles. Brush the parchment very lightly with more oil and set aside.
• Roll out the almond paste: Working on a separate piece of parchment paper, use the heel of your hand to flatten the almond paste into a round. Place another piece of parchment on top and use a rolling pin to roll the almond paste into a thin, even round measuring about 9 inches in diameter. Set aside.
• Roll out the pastry: Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator and let soften at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Unwrap the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to beat the dough all across the surface to make it more pliable. Dust over top and underneath the dough with more flour, then roll it out, dusting with more flour as needed, into an 11-inch round. Use a sharp knife or a wheel cutter to cut the pastry into an even 10-inch round, tracing a dinner plate or a cake pan as a guide. Slide the pastry onto a plate and refrigerate until it's time to assemble the tart.
• Assemble the tart: Spoon all but about 3 tablespoons of the chilled quince jelly into the bottom of the prepared skillet (reserve the remaining jelly for glazing the tart). Layer the quince slices over the jelly in the skillet, overlapping tightly into whatever pattern you like (rows, a rosette, or free-form!). Uncover the almond paste round and carefully place it in the skillet, centering over the quince. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and slide it into the skillet, then use a spoon to tuck the edges of the pastry down between the quince and the sides of the skillet. Use a paring knife to make about 8 small slits across the pastry to allow steam to escape.
• Bake: Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake until the pastry is golden brown and the jelly is bubbling up around the sides and starting to turn golden, another 25 to 35 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Turn out the tart and glaze: Working over the sink and using towels or mitts to protect your hands from hot flowing juices, place a rack over the skillet and invert. Give the rack a sharp tap on the counter to release the tart, then slowly remove the skillet. Peel away the parchment if stuck to the tart. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then while the tart is still warm, brush with the reserved jelly to glaze the fruit. Slide the cooled tart onto a platter and serve at room temperature.
• Do Ahead: The poached quince and quince jelly can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks. The tart covered and stored at room temperature, will keep up to 4 days but is best served on the first or second day (the crust will soften over time).
• Cooks' Note
• Any inexpensive rosé wine will do for this recipe, just as long as it's decent enough that you wouldn't mind drinking it on its own.
• Quince will stay hard as a rock even when ripe, so the best indicators of ripeness are their color and scent. Look for quince that are more yellow than green and give off a strong floral, tropical-fruity aroma. If they don't smell like anything, leave them on your counter-they're not ready yet!
• Be very careful when scooping the cores from the quince, as the raw flesh is very hard and slips happen easily.

APPLE ROSE TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180ºC). Butter 4 muffin tins.
• Using a mortar and pestle or a small food processor, crush or pulse the nuts and lemon zest until a coarse paste forms.
• Stir in half the honey and 2 tablespoons of the butter.
• In a large bowl, combine the apple slices with the remaining honey and the lemon juice and toss to coat.
• Use a pastry brush to butter the phyllo sheets and then fold each sheet into 4 portions, brushing with more butter as you go, to make strips about 10 inches (25 cm) long and 4 inches (10 cm) wide.
• Spread the nut mixture along the long edge of each strip of phyllo, covering half the strip. Then, using about 1/2 apple per strip, overlap the apple slices over the uncovered other half of each strip, with the skin edge sitting just above the top of the filo strip.
• Fold the nut-covered phyllo over the apple and then, working quickly, loosely roll the whole length up from a short end into a rose-shaped tart.
• Place it in the buttered tin. Drizzle with a bit of the remaining butter and sprinkle with a little extra honey. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
• Bake until the tarts are golden brown and bubbling and the apple and phyllo are cooked, 25 to 40 minutes.
• Serve warm with ice cream, yogurt, or crème fraîche.

ALMOND & APPLE TART

Steps:

• First, make the pastry. Using a free-standing mixer fitted with a beater attachment (or an electric hand whisk and large bowl), mix the butter and sugar until smooth and pale. Reduce the speed, slowly add the flour, then just before it's fully combined, add the egg yolk and mix briefly until smooth (if the pastry is dry add 1 tsp cold water). Remove the pastry from the bowl, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge overnight, or for at least 1 hr.
• For the frangipane, cream the butter and icing sugar in a freestanding mixer or with an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs one at a time, then fold in the almonds and calvados and beat for 3 mins more. Chill until needed.
• Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Roll out the pastry on a well-floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Gently press the pastry into either a 23cm tart ring on a baking sheet or a 23cm fluted tart tin (the pastry may crack - patch up any holes with leftover pastry). Trim the edges neatly, then chill in the fridge for 20 mins.
• Stand the tart tin (if using) on a baking sheet, then spoon in the frangipane and smooth with the back of the spoon, leaving a 0.5cm gap at the top. Peel and core the apples, then cut into 4mm slices using a mandolin or knife across the width of the apple so there's a hole in the middle of each slice. Arrange the apples on top of the frangipane. Sieve a good layer of icing sugar on top, then bake for 1 hr-1 hr 15 mins or until the apples are caramelised and the frangipane is cooked (use a skewer to check). Leave to cool for 30 mins before serving.
• Next make the Chantilly. Whip the double cream and icing sugar to soft peaks, then add the Calvados and vanilla seeds, and whisk again until the mixture holds its shape. Chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve with the tart.

APPLE ROSE TART

Steps:

• Rub the butter and flour together in a large bowl using your fingertips. Work through the mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, egg yolk (reserve the white), vanilla extract and 2-3 tsp cold water to form a ball of dough that leaves the bowl clean. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, put the apple slices in a large bowl. squeeze over the lemon juice and cover with water. Microwave on High for 4 mins, then drain and pat dry on some kitchen paper. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.
• Roll out the pastry to fit the tin and trim the edges with scissors so they stand up, about 5mm above the edge. Prick the surface of the pastry a few times with a fork. Place a layer of foil on top, add some baking beans and blind-bake for 15 mins. Remove the beans and foil, brush the pastry with the reserved egg white and return to the oven for 10-15 mins until biscuity.
• Roll out 75g more of the marzipan out on a surface dusted with a little icing sugar until it's approx 20 x 15cm. Cut into three rectangles and lay eight apple slices down the long edge of each strip of marzipan (see step-by-step guide) and reserve the rest. Fold the bare edge of each strip over to cover the apples, then roll up from the short edge (see step-by-step guide). Place the apple roses in eggcups or a muffin tin so that they hold their shape. Roll the remaining marzipan into small balls.
• Mix the butter, sugar, eggs, almonds, flour and milk together in a large bowl and whisk until well combined. Take the tart case out of the oven and spread with the filling. Gently press your apple-marzipan roses into the filling, evenly spaced out, then scatter over the balls of marzipan. Fill the gaps with the remaining apple slices so that the filling is covered, curving the slices a little as you go to create additional petals on the roses, or rolling them up tightly to look like rosebuds, all with the peel-side facing upwards.
• Return to the oven for 30-35 mins, then leave the tart to cool in the tin for 10 mins. Meanwhile, heat the apricot jam in a small saucepan until simmering, then pass it through a metal sieve into a bowl. Brush it over the surface of the tart while both the jam and the tart are still warm. Serve the tart a little warm, or leave to cool, then turn it out onto a serving plate and dust with icing sugar.