... if your neighbour gives you a bucket of apples from their tree?

You make one of these, that's what.




It took me a good few hours to make, not least because it requires two separate stovetop sessions, two separate blasts of the oven (one of the pastry case on its own, one of the finished tart) and a final stint under the grill. Plus, I made the pastry from scratch. Recipe here.

It's a wee bit *ahem* over-caramelised (i.e. burnt). We have a fan oven, so you know you have to adjust the temperature/timings, though you're never quite sure by how much. Overall, though, I was delighted with the finished product. The pastry was extremely short, rich and buttery (very hard to transfer from worktop to tin, though, as it has a tendency to fall apart). The apples were sweet and spiced. The effort was definitely worth it.

I've never thought of baking as my forte, it being a science whereas I see myself as more of an "artist" in the kitchen (gosh, that sounds pretentious... ah well), but I think I should venture out of my comfort zone more often.

So, six apples gone - several more to go. I feel a crumble coming on...