This Christmas my mum asked me to make a dessert to go with our family lunch. She asked for something light and nothing too extravagant knowing that left to my own devices I’d be planning something that would take days to make.  So I decided to keep it simple and make an apple custard tart, and it was rather yummy if I do say so myself. A lovely ending to a very delicious lunch of pork with all the trimmings.

Apple Cinnamon Custard Tart

Makes: 6-8 slices

Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

• 175g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 75g butter (cubed)
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• Sunflower oil spray
• 1-2 apples (I used Braeburns)
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 400ml whipping cream
• ½ Tsp vanilla extract
• ½ lemon
• 1 Tbsp apricot jam
• 1.5 Tbsp caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan and place baking sheet in the oven to warm up.  Take a 28cm loose bottomed fluted tart tin and spray with sunflower oil.

Mix your flour and butter together in a food processor. When the mix looks like bread crumbs add 25g sugar and give it a quick whizz. Then add 1 egg and up to 1 tbs of water till you get the right consistency. Keep mixing the dough in the food processor until it starts to hold together.

Roll your pastry out on a floured surface, ideally to 1-2mm thick – make sure the circumference is.at least 1-2 inches bigger than your tin. Line your tin with the pastry ensuring that you have a little extra to go over the edge and push into the fluted edges. Prick the pastry base all over with a fork. Cover with baking parchment, add baking beans and blind bake for 10 mins. Remove from the oven and spread the apricot jam across the base using a pastry brush.

Start prepping your apples by cutting them into quarters and then thirds. Place the slices into a bowl of water with the lemon juice to prevent them from going to brown.

Next whisk together 75g sugar with your 4 egg yolks, 200ml whipping cream, cinnamon and the vanilla and put aside.

Take your apple slices and pat dry with kitchen roll, then place your slices in a nice pattern on the base of your tart. Pour the custard mix over the top (don’t worry, it should be runny) and the place in the oven at 190°C/170°C fan for 30-35mins. Your pastry should be a nice golden brown and your custard should be set… if it jiggles when you move the tin leave it in the oven for another 5 mins.  When set take out of the oven and leave to cool. The tart will need to be stored in the fridge.

The tart is pretty yummy on its own but I like to whisk up 200ml of whipping cream with 1.5 Tbsp caster sugar and a dash of vanilla extract to go on the side.