Mary Berry's Canterbury Apple Tart

This is a fabulous pudding which I found in the amazing Mary Berry's "New Aga Cookbook".   A large apple tart, with a delicious sharp lemon flavour too... what could be nicer?    It is good hot or cold with proper custard
(http://katespuddings.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/proper-egg-custard.html)
or home made vanilla ice cream
http://katespuddings.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/best-ever-easy-vanilla-ice-cream.html

The picture below is an extra large one I made for the Stour Music Festival.  The standard recipe is for an 11" flan tin, so will serve 10 people.   It doesn't last long - it's one of those puddings you find people "tidying up" in the kitchen.  A friend says it freezes well, though I've never tried.

Canterbury Apple Tart

Canterbury Apple Tart

Pastry:

4oz/100g butter

8oz/225g plain flour

1 egg, beaten

(you can add 1oz icing sugar, but I prefer not to)

Tart:

4 eggs

8oz/225g caster sugar 

2 lemons, grated rind and juice of

4oz/100g butter, melted

2 large cooking apples (Bramley, or similar), quartered, cored and peeled

2 eating apples, cored and finely sliced (red ones look great unpeeled!)

1oz/25g Demerara sugar

Oven:  preheat a baking tray in the oven heated to 200deg C 

Make the pastry, either by hand or processor, and then chill it for about 20 minutes before putting it into a 11inch flan tin.   (If you go slightly over the edge with the pastry, you can then cut it off after cooking, so any over-brown bits disappear.)  Put the tin back into the fridge while you are doing the next bit. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, castor sugar, lemon rind and juice.  Then stir in the melted butter.   Get the dessert apples on standby, and grate the cooking apples straight into the bowl using a coarse grater.   Stir in the cooking apples.       

Pour the apple mixture into the flan tin, and then put the eating apples around the edge as per the picture.   Lastly, use the Demerara sugar all over the eating apples.  

Bake on the preheated tray for about 40 minutes.  The tart needs to be set in the centre, and slightly brown.   

If you like this recipe, why not let me know how you got on with it?  I'm also on Facebook "Kate's Puddings" and Twitter @katespuddings.  My cookbook is on sale via my website www.katespuddings.co.uk.  This recipe is featured in my cookbook "Kate's Puddings, the Cookbook of the Blog", together with 75 others, many of which will not be appearing on the blog!