Apple Tart

Homemade apple tart (pie if you’re not from Ireland), served with cream is an old reliable family celebration dessert.

Our wedding anniversary passed last week with very little fuss.  We’re not the type of people who make a big deal to celebrate occasions like anniversaries, although I did remind him of my favourite picture of the day on Facebook. I have so many memories of the day we finally got married but some come to the fore everytime I think about it.

The day we married was the hottest day of the year by far and the air conditioning broke down in the function room.  Apparently anyway, I’m not convinced they had any in the first place to be honest as our normal Irish weather is far from warm let me tell you!

As I melted into a puddle waiting for the dessert to be served and the speeches to start,  I could see my hubby having a quiet conversation with one of the waiting staff. Just a few minutes later and every table was offered a seasonal dessert, truthfully I can’t remember what was on the menu but I do remember that both my husband and my grandfather were given a massive dish of apple tart and cream. My jaw dropped and I heard him proclaim “it’s my wedding day I’ll have my favourite dessert with Granda J thank you very much”.

So when Avonmore delivered a hamper the other day with their new Fresh Dessert Cream to try out  and it came so close to our wedding anniversary I knew that I would have to bake a tart to celebrate and serve it up the proper way!

The cream is  sweetened and thickened using carageen which makes it last longer than classic cream or the whipped variety.  I thought it was going to be overly sweet but it is very light, and not on the sugary side at all.  I can’t wait to see this type of cream available in my local supermarket. I went looking for it today and couldn’t find it which is a pity I will definitely buy it because of the longer fridge life.

Because this is a review, I don’t so much have a recipe for you but some tips for a decent apple tart or pie.

1. Use good quality cooking apples because eating apples can make it too sweet.
2. Fill a large bowl with water, then squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into the water and stir well. When peeling and chopping the apples store all the pieces submerged in the water, this will stop them browning and giving you a dark filling.
3. The base and top of the tart/pie should be 1cm thick. You need a decent thickness of base so that can lift the tart whole from the tray.
4. For the top make sure you pierce it in more than 1 location with a fork so that the steam can escape.
5. Drain the apple pieces from the water and add 1/2 cup each of caster sugar and plain flour to the large bowl.  Using your hands make sure very piece of apple is coated in the flour/sugar mixture.  I use a cup measure because it’s one of the few times I don’t need to measure out exactly!
6. The addition of the flour to the filling makes it stick together better when you’re cutting.
7. Don’t bother faffing with greaseproof/baking paper instead grease and dust your baking tin well with butter or oil and flour. It should pop out easily once cooked.
8. Leave your tart/pie to cool for at least 30 mins before serving.  Do not serve it straight from the oven!

Note: I was provided with a number of samples from Avonmore for the purposes of this review.  My opinions and photographs are my own and I am not paid to give them.