Apple and Walnut Tart
Crust:2 sheets of ready-rolled frozen sweet shortcrust pastry. I'm lazy, so I use the frozen stuff, but you can make your own if you prefer. Bake blind at 180 deg C for about 10 minutes, remove the baking paper and beans (or whatever you prefer to use for blind baking) and bake another few minutes until the crust looks nicely light brown.
Filling:
5 apples - I use Royal Gala, a sweet variety, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 banana - ripe, but not over-ripe, mashed with the back of a fork
About 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (use up to 1 cup if you like it to be more nutty)
Finely chopped candied lemon peel, to taste. I use the peel from about 1/2 large lemon.
1/2 cup soft brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup brandy (this is not optional - go buy some brandy if you don't have any in the house!)
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 TBSP corn flour mixed with about 2 TBSP cold water
In a small bowl, stir together the banana, walnuts, lemon peel and juice, cinnamon, brandy and about half the sugar. Leave it standing for about an hour so the candied peel can soften a bit.
Cook the apples with the remaining sugar in a bowl in the microwave oven (at high power in bursts of 2 to 3 minutes) until the apple is cooked.
Add the banana and nuts mixture, stir and cook another 3 minutes on high in the microwave.
Add the corn flour, stir well, and cook for another 2 minutes on high in the microwave. Stir again to mix well and then pour into the pie crust and smooth down evenly.
Bake in the oven at 180 deg C with the fan on for another 5 to 10 minutes, but keep an eye on it; don't let the crust burn. This is to let the filling settle nicely and to blow off any excess moisture from the apples.
Yum! Enjoy. Serve plain, with vanilla ice-cream or with thickened cream. And coffee!
