Apple Tart Fine With Caramel Sauce And Vanilla Mascarpone Cream

You normally buy the pastry in 500g packets so there will be some pastry left over which can be used for pies or other tarts. Why not try pineapple with a pink peppercorn syrup, persimmon tarts or try a savoury tomato tart with pesto???

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 250g puff pastry
• 4 granny smith apples
• 70g butter
• 100g brown sugar
• 150g mascarpone
• tblsp runny honey
• 1 vanilla pod
• 100g caster sugar
• 200g heavy cream or water or flat cider or apple juice
• optional splash of calvados

Method

For the tarts:

Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Roll the pastry out to the thickness of a 2 dollar coin and cut out 4x 15cm discs. I use a saucer as a template.

Lightly prick the pastry discs with a fork leaving a 1 cm border round the edges.

Peel, core and slice the apples into 3mm slices and arrange the apples on the tarts in a spiral pattern. Sprinkle the tarts with brown sugar and top with knobs of butter.

If not cooking straight away the tarts can be popped in the fridge until ready to cook. Don’t worry if the apples go brown as this can add to the caramel colour of the tarts.

Bake on a baking sheet for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is puffed, cooked and the apples start to caramelise and soften. Serve warm surrounded with the caramel sauce and topped with the mascarpone.

For the caramel sauce:

In a wide bottomed saucepan add the sugar with a tablespoon of water to help the sugar dissolve.

Cook the sugar on a medium heat until the sugar melts and finally stars to brown. It may brown towards the edges first so just tip the pan to get an even colour.

When the caramel reaches a chestnut brown add the liquid (cream/water/cider or apple juice), Be careful as it will splash and splutter. Boil the sauce until it homogenises.

For the mascarpone:

Put the mascarpone into a bowl with the honey. Split the vanilla pod in half and scrape the seeds into the bowl. Mix until all combined.

John Hawkesby’s Wine suggestion

Dessert Wines

Trinity Hill Noble Viognier 2007

Allan Scott Cecilia Reserve Brut N.V.