FRENCH APPLE TART

Summer seasons comes with myriad possibilities, some days are promising for outdoor Picnics and barbecues while on some days the weather man issues caution to avoid the scorching rays of the sun. Last weekend it was very warm in laixi,Qingdao and so we decided to stay indoors till the temperature slumped down a bit to a tolerable level in the evening. Staying indoors during the weekend is height of boredom for all of us but this was still a better option than to just meander in the mall and pile up nonessential things that we often end up doing. After a bit of commotion & un reconcilable arguments on what to do my hubby and my son opted to laze browsing their favorite animation channels and I was happily sucked into my warm kitchen baking this tart.

This is one of my favorite tart and it was heavenly to have it after a heavy lunch of Prawn biryani that is close to my chicken biryani recipe. I had made the crust dough couple of days before and just stewing the apple didn’t consume a long time. The green apples are sweet and peak during this season and the farmers market is inundated with these delectable tiny green ones.

Ingredients
For making the Crust
180 grams plain flour
90 grams butter
60 grams sugar
1 egg yolk
¼ teaspoon salt
cold water to knead.

Combine flour and butter and rub it till the texture resembles like bread crumbs. Add yolk, sugar, salt and water to knead into a soft pliable dough. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

For filling
2 medium green apples
2 medium red apples
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1teaspoon cinnamon powder
sugar ( optional)
Butter to brush
Apricot preserve to brush

Method

Peel, core and dice the green apples. Cook them in a pan with ½ cup of water and 1tablespoon of lemon juice. Simmer on a low fire till the apples are soft. Add the cinnamon and keep it aside.

Peal, core and slice red apples and add rest of the lemon juice .Keep it aside.

Preparing the tart
Roll the dough and slide into the baking pan lined with a butter paper. Tuck the edges and remove the excess. Preheat the oven at 175 ‘c and bake it for 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove the half baked tart and fill it with cooked green apples and arrange the red sliced apples on the top in a circular fashion. Brush them with butter and Apricot preserve. Bake them for 30 minutes. Remove and brush more apricot preserve while the tart is still warm.

Enjoy and savor it with a dollop of ice-cream. It is truly divine.

Note- if the bottom of tart is still soggy after baking it. Remove the tart from the pan and then bake it further 5 to 7 minutes. The bottom of the pie will be crusty.

For making the tart dough without using egg check out my walnut pie recipe.

By the way I am off on my holidays to Sydney and so taking a short break for three weeks.I am excited and just counting days to get a glimpse of beautiful blues skies, the sand and the surf. I hope to pepper my site with some real Aussie tucker on my return.

Please take care and remember to slip slap & slop whenever going out in the sun.

Coconut and almond biscotti

Summer holidays have arrived and it is definetly an enjoyable time for kids, more relaxing as they are free from their daily routine of getting up early, having a quick breakfast to avoid missing the school bus.A long stretch of holidays is indeed a great time for them to pursue their extra curricular activities and watch more of the idiot box that I hate to entertain. But this certainly isn’t holiday time for moms as they are on the toes chalking out i ternaries for keeping the busy bees active & preventing them from mischief and filling up the cookie jar that empties in no time.

Staying at home, kids love to nibble on snacks often and they to tend munch on chips and junks if the goody jars are empty and left to their own choice. The biscotti’s are nice treats to munch and taste delicious. I am surprised that I haven’t featured a single bicotti recipe so far when I often love to try out varieties of biscottis. This biscotti is one of our family favorites but I don’t really prepare it that often as it requires little bit more butter than usual especially when biscotti’s are made with out using butter.

The word "biscotti" in Italian is the plural form of biscotto, which applies to any type of biscuit, meaning "twice-baked": it defines biscuits baked twice in the oven, so they could be stored for long periods of time, which was particularly useful during the long journeys….source-Wikipedia.

I have been thinking of baking these biscotti since the day Suganya of Tasty palettes announced an event featuring the most loved and coveted fruit “coconut”. Coming from Orissa where coconut is part of our diet as is with cities with a long coastline. One cannot escape the fact that our sweets are enriched with sweetened shredded.coconuts. We have lots of recipes and sweets made from coconut and I still happened to miss this wonderful Fruit nut.

This recipe is adapted from a lovely blog http://www.bakingandbooks.com/

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
• 1 cup almonds flakes
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoon applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Combine flour, sugar, almond flakes, coconut and baking powder in a bowl. Whisk eggs, butter, applesauce and vanilla in a bowl. Fold the dry ingredients and knead into soft dough. If the dough too soft and sticky, just pop into the refrigerator for 10 mins.

Preheat the oven at 175 'C and divide the dough into half. Shape them like a loaf and bake them for 20 to 25 mins or until it is golden brown.

Remove and cool the half baked the biscotti’s. Slice them with a sharp knife and arrange them on a baking tray and further bake them for 15 to 20 mins or until firm and golden brown.

Cool and store them in an air tight containers.

It is so satisfying to see the little ones smile at every bite.

Note- Apple sauce is just an option and substitute for butter. Alternatively you can use the regular butter instead of applesauce.

Applesauce and pureed prunes are known for oil substitute in baking. Read this wonderful article “what is an oil substitute”. Applesauce can be store brought or easily made at home.

Here is an easy recipe adapted from my favorite magazine.

Ingredients

2 medium apples peeled,cored and chopped

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

method

Combine apple, sugar,cinnamon powder, lemon juice and ¼ cup water in a saucepan. Cook and stir on a low fire for 10 minutes or until the apple is tender.

Remove and blend them to a smooth paste.