Dairy/Soya-free Spiced Apple Tart

Dairy-free, Soya-free

Serves: 6 people

Calories per serving: 240

Someone who works with my mum keeps kindly giving me surplus fruit that she's grown in her garden. Last week she gave me a huge bag of cooking apples. I didn't have a clue what to do with them, but then I had a pie case left over after making a couple of pumpkin pies and figured I'd try my hand at a spiced apple tart.

This tart is very quick and simple... it's one of the simplest recipes I've posted to this blog. The most time-consuming part is peeling and slicing all the apples. It's also very delicious, especially served warm with some icecream or custard (I prefer the custard!).

Ingredients:

Pastry:

• 95g plain flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 30g caster sugar
• 35g non-dairy, non-soya spread
• 1 small egg (beaten)

Filling:

• 4 large cooking apples (peeled, cored and sliced)
• 30g non-dairy, non-soya spread
• 75g granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp demerara sugar

Method:

Pastry:

• Make the pastry a few hours beforehand.
• In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and spices. Rub in the spread until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
• Pour in the egg a little at a time and stir with a butter knife to combine. There should be enough with one egg to bring the dough together into a ball, but if there isn't add a little more. (If you accidentally add to much egg and it's wet, add a touch more flour, but don't worry too much. It doesn't particularly matter for this recipe).
• Once you have a ball of dough place it into an 18cm pie dish. Press the dough into the case using your fingertips, pushing it out to the sides and spreading it evenly. (This can be a bit time-consuming but I found this dough a little difficult to roll out with a rolling-pin and this was easier).
• Place the pie case in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200C, 180C fan, Gas Mark 6. Blind bake the tart case for 20 minutes until just browned, then set aside to cool.

Filling:

• Preheat the oven to 180C, 160C fan, Gas Mark 5.
• In a large frying pan, melt 15g of the spread and stir in 40g of the sugar, the lemon zest and 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Add the apples and gently cook for around 10 minutes until the apples are soft and have started to break apart. Mash them until they almost form a puree, then set them aside.

• Heat the remaining spread, sugar and cinnamon in the frying pan and add the remaining apples. Cook for about 5 minutes until the apples are just starting to soften.
• Spoon the apple puree mixture into the tart case. Then arrange the second lot of apples on top. Sprinkle with demerara sugar and bake for about 30 minutes until the apples are soft and the tart case is crispy.

Dairy-free Blackberry Frangipane Tart

Dairy-free, Soya-free

Serves: 8 people

Calories per serving: 470

 

 

Autumn. Autumn is coming. And as much as I've loved the summer, autumn is still, and will always be, my favourite season. And the best thing about autumn, for me, is blackberries. Blackberries bring back happy childhood memories of foraging with my family as a kid, then coming home and helping my mum to make blackberry pie. It's a tradition I'm repeating with my own daughter. This year is the first time she's really been into it, and we've made the most of the early season.

 

So because I had a basket bursting full of blackberries I figured I would invent a new recipe... something a bit more exciting than a classic blackberry pie (though I will be having at least one of those this autumn too!). This is my first attempt at a dairy-free tart, and I have to say that you wouldn't even know it's dairy-free. It is really delicious.

 

I used blackberries in this recipe because I had lots to hand, but it would work equally well with raspberries or blueberries. You could even try experimenting with cherries and try using amaretto rather than almond extract. Playing around with flavours is fun.

 

Ingredients:

 

Pastry:

•  235g plain flour
• a pinch of salt
• 125g non-dairy, non-soya spread
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 medium egg (beaten)

Frangipane:

• 260g fresh blackberries
• 120g non-dairy, non-soya spread
• 120g icing sugar
• 120g beaten eggs
• 120g ground almonds
• 25g plain flour
• 3 tsp almond extract

Method:

 

Pastry:

• Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the salt.
• Rub in the spread until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
• Add a small amount of egg and bring the mixture together using a knife. If it's too dry to come together to a dough, add more egg, and if necessary a tiny amount of cold water. The dough should be wet enough that it's not cracking apart, but not sticky. (Making shortcrust pastry can take a little practice, but by adding the liquid gradually your dough shouldn't end up too wet).
• Chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. Preheat the oven to 190C/ Gas Mark 5.
• Roll the dough out on a floured surface and place into a 20cm pie dish. If you have gaps up the sides of the pie dish, patch up with excess pastry. Leave the pastry hanging over the sides (you can trim it later).
• Line with greaseproof paper, add baking beans or rice and blind bake for about 15 minutes.

 

Frangipane:

• Place the blackberries into the tart case and spread out.

 

 

• Place the spread into a large mixing bowl and put in a microwave for a few seconds until it is almost melted. Then cream the spread and icing sugar until mixed. The mixture will be very runny.
• Gradually add the beaten egg, mixing between each addition. Then add the flour and ground almonds, stirring them into the mixture.
• Stir in the almond extract.
• Pour the mixture onto the blackberries.

• Place the tart into the oven for around 40 minutes, until the top is golden and the frangipane is set. (It should still be moist).
• Allow to cool, then trim off the excess pastry and serve.