coconut tarts

One of my favourite moments during yum cha is when the lady comes around pushing the desserts cart. From colourful cubed gelatin jellies with an umbrella toothpicks to chewy mochi with peanut and coconut fillings. I generally like most of them (except almond jelly), but you can't really beat flaky egg tarts that are fresh from the oven. Another tart offered is the coconut tart - what I refer to as the less popular cousins of the egg tart. We used to get these when we were visiting our relatives in the east, but since the dim sum restaurant closed a decade ago, I haven't been able to source any good ones that are as good as the ones we used to get.

I tried making them a couple of years back, but the filling was different mainly because I was just mixing a bunch of ingredients I thought were in it. It was not until I recently came across wantanmien's post, I thought about making these again. This time the filling was very close to what I remember eating in the past. Compared to my old filling mixture which was very moist, this was quite dry and could be molded into a ball. 

You'll need a stack of individual tart molds to make these, but if you don't have any, you can try using a greased, loose based muffin tray or patty/fairy cake trays (cake tin with the rounded bottom). 

* * *

coconut tarts     makes around 16

pastry adapted from Lim Siew Chung in Yummy Street Fare 最想吃的...街坊美食 

filling adapted from wantanmien

pastry
200g plain flour
75g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
25g cold lard (or unsalted butter), cut into cubes
50g icing sugar
15g custard powder
pinch of salt
1 cold egg

filling (make a few hours prior or overnight)
200g desiccated coconut
120ml milk or coconut milk
60g unsalted butter
100g icing sugar (or to taste)
20g vanilla pudding powder* (optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
pinch of salt
few drops of yellow food colouring (optional)

8 glace cherries, cut into half, for decoration (optional)

To make pastry: Put flour, butter, lard, icing sugar, custard powder and salt into a food processor. Pulse until butter and lard resemble small breadcrumbs. Add in the egg and pulse until everything comes together. Empty onto a lightly floured surface and knead into a ball. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

To make filling: Put all ingredients into a small saucepan, except for the desiccated coconut. Cook on medium low heat until butter melts completely. Stir in the coconut and leave to cool for a few hours or overnight for it to absorb the liquid.

To assemble: Take the pastry out of the refrigerator and divide into 30g pieces. Press pastry evenly around the molds**. Divide filling according to how many tart shells you have and lightly press into the tart shells. Press in a halved glace cherry in the center. Bake at 190 degrees celcius for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Don't worry about over baking, they are very forgiving. In fact, you'll get crispier tart shells - win! 

*I found adding this made the taste kind of artificial. If you add vanilla bean paste, essence or extract, I do not think it is necessary.

**Or roll out the pastry into 2mm and use a suitable cookie cutter to cut our rounds to line the mold.

that's so quiche!*

The first time I ever made a quiche was sometime during middle school. The experience can be summed up as bad, or even chaotic. The other time being when I burnt my garlic bread into a blackened coal in the grill (because I didn't know you had to leave it open)! Or maybe the time when my white sauce turned into a grey sauce because I put in too much ground black pepper...!! Not "quiche" at all but everyone learns from their mistakes.

It was a warm day and our shortcrust pastry was made with room temperature margarine which hardly got to chill in the fridge as the door was repeatedly opened every five seconds. The horror when we tried to roll it out and line it in the tart ring. I don't remember about the others but I didn't do a very good job at all, so my egg filling was leaking out as soon as I poured it in. If anything, I wanted to give up and just dump the whole thing in the bin. But that's not cool. It came out as a badly made tart shell filled with sauteed onions and sliced tomatoes with a slimy slick of egg on top. I was surprised it even held together. Since then, I've only baked quiche twice, redeeming myself sometime last year. It didn't look too bad and actually tasted alright.

This time round, I wanted to use the tart ring again. I used a wholemeal shortcrust pastry adapted from here, which is very, very manageable. I didn't blind bake it this time, but I will for the next as the shell was a bit soft.

Filling wise: a layer of finely grated parmesan cheese, followed by sauteed diced bacon and onion, blanched baby spinach, peas and mini truss tomatoes cut into two. For the egg mixture, I use the ratio of 1 large egg to 50ml each of thickened cream and milk, seasoned with a bit of white pepper and salt. Before it goes in the oven, I put another layer of cheese on top. In regards to baking time, I just wing it and bake it at 180-200 degrees until it is slightly wobbly and let it finish cooking in the residual heat. My 16 x 3.5cm quiche took about 50-60 minutes altogether. Allow to cool slightly, cut and serve warm.

*If you don't get the quiche joke, maybe you should check this out. Or maybe you've already seen already on tumblr or something. I haven't seen the series yet, but I've watched the mockumentary, We Can Be Heroes at school.

trying new things

Every week I find myself rearranging the books on the bookshelf to fit in more than it can. A very recent addition is the Nordic Bakery Cookbook by Miisa Mink. I was originally drawn in by the simple design and photography, but after baking from it twice, with plans for more, it's becoming a new favourite. Someday, I'd like to sit in the Scandinavian-style cafe with a cinnamon bun looking out at the streets of London.

I wanted to make the parsnip and sesame flatbreads but quark isn't readily available here. Miisa Mink suggests to substitute it with thick Greek yogurt but I wanted to try make my own version by straining some natural yogurt in muslin overnight. I'm not sure if the texture and taste compares, but it gave me a really thick, less tart yogurt with some parts near the edges resembling cream cheese. The flatbreads were just as delicious (and addictive). 

I haven't decided what to do with the whey yet, but I'll probably make Calpis or bake bread with it.

With bread, needs soup. I tried a new pumpkin soup recipe out of Jason Atherton's Gourmet Food on a Budget. The method is very different to the usual one I make. The pumpkin is roasted in a foil parcel, pureed, then cooked over a low heat until almost dry before mixing it in with stock, grated parmesan cheese and cream. It resulted in a velvety soup with a cheesy tang. I didn't make the lime chantilly but I think it would be pretty amazing and innovative.

Last thing I did today was deep fry some choux pastry to make chouxros (please ignore my crappy pun). The chouxros weren't crispy as I anticipated but was light and fluffy. It doesn't tastes like much on its own, but with the accompanying salted caramel and dark chocolate ganache...it tasted SO UNHEALTHY I probably won't make/eat it again. It also becomes quite oily when cooled, so I ended up dumping half the batch after dinner... At least I can enjoy the salted caramel with something else...!

I'm submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #34: Choux Party (August 2013) hosted by Jasline of Foodie Baker. (Thank you for taking the time to host!)

★ ★ ★

chouxros     makes around 20 x 4-5cm long pieces

Just a note, these taste very unhealthy...

1 batch of choux pastry made with bread flour instead of plain flour
oil, for deep frying
salted caramel (see below) and dark chocolate ganache, to serve

Once you have made the choux pastry, transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 9mm star piping tip and leave to rest for 30 minutes or more. 

When ready to fry, heat a small saucepan, half-filled with oil. When the oil is hot, pipe 2-3 pieces of 4-5cm choux pastry into the oil. You may need to use a scissors to cut/separate the dough. Deep fry, turning frequently until golden brown. Drain off excess oil.

Serve immediately with salted caramel and warm chocolate ganache.

Note: You may want to flavour your choux pastry with vanilla bean paste/extract, orange blosson water etc. before frying and roll the chouxros in cinnamon sugar or caster sugar after draining the excess oil. Up to you! 

★ ★ ★

salted caramel     makes around 150-200ml

Add the salt according to your taste. I gifted Mrs Roddick a bottle of fleur de sel recently and she has told me salted caramel tastes better with it. But she said to add a little at a time as it is saltier than sea salt.

50g caster sugar
150ml thickened cream
sea salt, to taste

Put the caster sugar in a shallow frying pan and shake it gently so the sugar is distributed evenly. Dissolve over a low heat, shaking the pan frequently. Gently stir the sugar into the dissolved parts and continue to stir until it becomes a golden amber/whisky colour. Add the cream (be careful of splatter). Stir until the hardened caramel dissolves into the cream*. Turn off the heat, add salt, stirring to taste. Leave to cool before storing in a glass jar. The sauce with thicken slightly upon cooling.

*I like to reduce/thicken the sauce by simmering it for a few minutes. It will become like a spreadable paste.

the little tart

The last cake I made was somewhere during February! No wonder my mum has been hinting that there was no cake around the house as of late (I used to bake a cake every week or so!). So for Mother's Day, I decided to make a Mont Blanc-inspired cake, only that didn't work out as planned so I transformed it into a tartlet instead.

It's chestnut season over here as of late, but I bought a bag of chestnuts from the Asian grocers since I didn't have time to prepare the fresh ones. I expected them to be peeled, but they were shelled! I was impressed for a good few seconds until it hit me. I had to peel them myself and boy, they were a pain in the butt. I ended up breaking most of them but it was fine, as long as I had a few 'perfect' ones for decorating.

Decorating was done in a mad dash, but they seem to look alright (?!) Taste wise, I really enjoyed the chestnut cream and the contrasting textures. Next time, I'd like to try making a whole cake. But if it was in the tart form, to just bake the sponge in the blind baked tart shell so the tart would be more even.

In composition order: pate sucre shell, chocolate sponge brushed with sugar syrup, unsweetened whipped cream, chestnut pieces and chestnut cream. Garnishes used: half a chestnut, thyme and a light dusting of Dutch cocoa powder.

all aboard the choux choux train!

I was trawling through my archives and noticed I blogged about these guyss f o u r times in the span of one year! Four times. Heh. These guys aren't so bad once you get to know them! I make these quite regularly at home and I think I've near perfected them. These shells are crisp when filled on the day but remain firm when stored in the fridge overnight. The best thing is that there are no more issues with the choux deflating! Hoorah!

I've written the recipe out just like the way I make them. Good luck in the kitchen!

▲ ▲ ▲

Choux pastry  
makes around 17-19 x 4-5cm (base) round diameter choux puffs

65g unsalted butter, cubed

60ml milk

60ml water

70g plain flour
pinch of sea salt

2 large eggs (or 1 large egg & 2 large egg whites)

Preheat oven to 200 degrees fan forced. Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Weigh the flour and add a pinch of salt.

Melt the butter over low heat with milk and water in a small saucepan. When the butter is completely melted, bring to the boil. When the liquids are boiling and thoroughly combined, add the flour and salt and stir until it forms a smooth paste. Lower heat when dough comes together and stir until paste doesn't stick to the sides. Remove from heat and allow the paste to cool for 3-5 minutes before adding eggs.

Add a beaten egg and beat hard to incorporate. The paste will break up but mix hard to bring it together. Add the remaining egg and mix until it reaches the desired consistency*. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 15mm plain piping tip and pipe out 4-5cm diameter rounds with a 5cm space between each choux. If there are peaks on top of the paste, moisten your finger and press down on them gently.

Bake at 200 degrees celcius fan forced for 20 minutes and lower heat to 150 degrees celcius fan forced and continue to bake another 20 minutes. Choux should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Turn off heat and let puffs sit for 20-30 minutes in the hot oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

*I've made these various times and found that both paste consistencies I end up will puff up in the oven. I prefer it when the paste just hangs off the wooden spoon. The dough is still kind of firm, but can still be easily piped with a "peak" and holds its shape. However it is fine when the paste is soft enough to fall off the spoon. In this case the paste will spread out a little bit when piped.   

And a final tip, before filling the choux with crème légère (mixture of crème pâtissière and whipped cream), crème pâtissière or sweetened whipped cream, pierce a small hole at the bottom / side of the choux with a 3mm piping tip and use that later to pipe the filling in. It will make it less messy. Otherwise, cut the choux in half and scoop in some of your favourite ice cream!

a chocolate tart

Now that summer holidays have begun, I can finally start making all those things I bookmarked throughout the year. 'Brown' is a recent addition, during one too many procrastination sessions. 

Who can resist the combination of caramel, chocolate and banana? (Except maybe Mrs. Roddick who hates real chocolate. Heh.) 

I rarely bake tarts as lining the pastry can be really frustrating. Especially, if using the fragile pate sucre. But since I bought crumpet make-shift tart rings for the chocolate delice, I thought why not. Lining them becomes easier with practice. Out of five tarts, my fifth tart was the best looking.

Although it took me a while to get this done, I took away many tips that I could use again. One of them is that dry caramelising in a thin shallow frying pan is so much better than the wet method in a saucepan. To get rid of the hardened caramel, just add water to the pan and let it sit for a while. 

I had to make a few amendments but, generally followed the recipe to the tee. If you want to give it a shot, the recipe is here in Japanese.

Components (composition order):

Chocolate pate sucre

Caramel sauce

Flourless chocolate sponge

Chocolate banana ganache

Caramelised banana agar

Whipped cream

Caramelised pecan & walnut pieces

Dutch cocoa powder & thyme (garnish)

Instagram photos 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

the nigh of fall

It struck me the other day that autumn was nearing it's end and that I haven't baked a single apple pie or crumbles and I haven't collected any acorns either. While apples are available all year round, it just feels more special to use them during the autumn season. Pumpkins, sweet potatoes and mandarins are still on my list to-do! But I guess, I'll have to wait until winter rolls in.

These are usually made with a frozen puff pastry base but, I thought the chilly weather was perfect for making pastry as it is easier to handle without creating a sticky mess. Either way would be great though (instructions at bottom)!

●●●

Sweet shortcrust pastry:

120g plain flour, sifted

35g almond meal

30g icing sugar, sifted

pinch of salt

50g cold unsalted butter, cubed

1 large egg, from the fridge

For the filling:

2 royal gala apples, washed, peeled and sliced thinly

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 Tb brown sugar

yellow-box honey, as required

sliced almonds, as required

beaten egg

For the pastry: Put flour, almond meal, sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the cubed butter and process until dough resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg and process until dough begins to form. Remove dough from the processor and gently knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Roll dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm (1 - 2 hours or overnight).

Meanwhile, prepare the apples and soak them in a mixture of lemon juice and water to prevent them from oxidising. 

Roll out dough to 3mm thick and place inside a lightly floured tart tin*. Drain the liquid from the apple slices. Sprinkle brown sugar on top of the pastry. Overlap the apple slices around the outside of the pastry, working your way inwards. Finish with a small row of apples slices in the middle. Squeeze honey in a circular motion around the tart. Fold over pastry hanging from the sides, overlapping where necessary. 

Brush pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle with almond slices. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes or until pastry is cooked and golden brown.

Cut and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

*If you don't have a tart tin, roll out pastry into a rectangular shape or if you are using frozen puff pastry, arrange the apple slices in overlapping rows instead.

●●●

I find that store bought muesli lacks the amount of seeds, nuts and dried fruit that I want so I prefer to make my own. Here I've combined these maple and brown sugar pecans into a new batch of autumn-inspired muesli which are adapted from here. No dried fruit this time, but chopped pieces of dried apple or pear would be perfect. This recipe makes one large jar.

2 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup chopped dried fruit

handful of sliced almonds 

handful of pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 Tb vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Spread out evenly on a baking tray. Bake at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.

When cooled, stir in 1/2 - 1 cup of maple & brown sugar pecans. Be sure to refrigerate them in an airtight jar to retain their crisp.

here's hoping for a better future

A little late into this, but I'm sure all, if not, most of you have heard the news of the recent natural disasters that are occurring in Japan right now. I have friends in Japan who I have gotten to know throughout my high school years and some recently through blogs. Unfortunately, some of them live in the affected areas and knowing I can't physically do anything to help, makes me feel helpless.

I wish I could do more to help, but I can only offer support to my friends, pray for Japan and its people whilst they conquer the crisis and slowly rebuild and of course, through voluntary donations.

A few days into the crisis, a well respected photographer on flickr, Hideaki Hamada has started a project called "Please Donate For Japan Earthquake" in order to spread the donation links through uploaded photographs. In a short period of time, there have been more than 1000 photos uploaded into the group from people around the world. 

I hope you can also join the group and help Japan and its people. 

• Donate links to various organisations
• 募金先一覧（nanapi[ナナピ]）
• 7 simple ways to help via mashable

There have been also some bloggers who are raising money to support the cause. The list does not include all the bloggers, but a few that I have been able to source.

• bento4Japan
• Chika - she who eats
• Rachel - The Pleasure Monger
• Tamami - Coco&Me
• Skye Hohmann - somewhere I have never travelled

If you prefer not to donate via internet, I have found two places in Melbourne that you will be able to make cash donations.

• Tokuya is donating 10 cents of every product sold and have a cash donation box on the counter
• University of Melbourne's Japanese Club fundraiser - see details here
  
  

On a side note, these portuguese tarts are one of my grandma's favourite bakes! When I was holiday-ing in Malaysia last year, my cousin and I made at least a batch of these a week and then we eventually got sick of them! That time, we used grandma's homemade shortcrust pastry, but this time round I made my own rough puff pastry (which tastes as good as the real deal!) It was kind of a like a baked creme patisserie and egg tart pastry fusion, only my pastry was thinner.

Making your own rough puff pastry beats buying the frozen pastry sheets as it smells better, crisper and lighter too! Plus it's easier than making real puff pastry :)

***

pasteis de nata (portuguese tarts)

rough puff pastry

from only the best by Michel Roux

ingredients:

makes 300g, enough for 4 x 12 cm diameter tart tins

I have quartered the amount of ingredients in the original recipe

• 125 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 125 g well-chilled butter, cut into small cubes (I used unsalted butter)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 50 ml iced water
  
  

yolk cream

adapted from the Cooking Guide DS

ingredients:

• 4 egg yolks
• 120 g sugar (reduced to 100 g)
• 4 tsp cornflour, sifted
• 200 ml milk
• 100 ml double cream (I used thickened cream)
• dash of vanilla essence
  
  

to make pastry:

Put the flour in a mound on the work surface, make a well in the centre and add the cubes of butter and salt. using your fingertips, work the butter and flour together, gradually drawing the flour into the middle.

When the butter cubes are half-squashed and the dough is becoming grainy, pour in the iced water in a steady stream, mixing with your other hand.

Continue to mix the dough with your fingertips until all the water is incorporated.

Then gather the dough and knead it several times by pushing it away from you with the heel of your hand. It should be fairly smooth, but you will still see some small particles of butter. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the pastry into a 30 x 15 cm rectangle. Fold this rectangle into three. This is called the first turn.

Give the block of pastry a quarter-turn, roll it out as before and fold into three. This is the second turn. Lightly press two fingertips into the block to remind yourself that you have made two turns. Wrap the pastry in cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Give the chilled pastry two more turns, rolling and folding as before. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 days until ready to use.

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. 

to make custard filling:

 
First, put the egg yolks in the mixing bowl and add sugar, beat well.
Add cornflour to the beaten egg yolks, mix well. Stir in the milk.
 
Strain and transfer the mixture into a small saucepan and place it over a low heat. Stir with the wooden spatula while gently heating the mixture until it thickens.
 
Remove the pan from the heat and place it on a wet tea towel. I just put the saucepan over a bowl of cold water.
 
Stir in a dash of vanilla essence, then let the mixture cool until it reaches room temperature. Mix the cream into the cooled yolk cream.
 
to assemble pasteis de nata:
 
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Dust the chopping board and tart tin lightly with flour.
 
Roll out the pastry with a rolling pin until it is 3 mm thick and big enough to fit over tin with excess dough hanging out. Push the pastry in the tart tin, pressing the pastry against the edges and bottoms of the tins. Roll the pin over the tin to cut the dough and remove excess. 
 
Divide and scoop the cooled yolk cream into the pastry in each pie tin.
 
Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the pastry and yolk cream is puffed and is slightly golden. Increase the temperature to 250°C and bake for a few minutes until tops are slightly darker than golden brown. Watch carefully as they tend to burn easily!

apple pie (puff pastry)

Target lock on!

On a mission to eliminate the basket full of evil apples. Every time I do, the baskets seem to refill themselves and on this case the amount doubled! Fortunately one basket was given away :) I still have about 25 apples on hand. Does any one have any good apple recipes? I don't want to become sick of apple pie as well.

golden and crisp *munch munch*

apple pie (puff pastry)

oven:
165 degrees Celsius
fan forced

ingredients:
makes 3 large pastries or 12 mini sized

• 1 lemon
• 6 apples
  (2 apples per puff pastry)
• 1/2 cup of sultanas, cooked
  (bring to a boil under low heat until sultanas are soft and plump, drain and dry)
• 50 grams unsalted butter
• 30 grams sugar and honey to taste
• 1 Tb of corn flour blended in 1/3 cup water - optional
  (if you want a thick and sticky sauce)
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 3 frozen puff pastry sheets, semi defrosted
• 1 beaten egg

method:
1. Juice the lemon and put juice in a mixing bowl. Peel the apples, cut into 8 wedges and later into thin slices 2-3 mm. Mix the apple with the lemon juice to stop it browning.

2. Melt the butter and sugar in a non stick pan under high heat.

3. When sugar turns brown add the apples and cooked sultanas. Cook the apples until colour changed and apple softens to your preference. Add the cinnamon in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Cool filling.

Note: You can add honey if you want. To make a thick sauce, blend the cornflour and water and pour into apples when the apple browns. Stir to combine.

4. For a large apple pie, fold the pastry in half and cut. For smaller apple pies, divide the pastry into 8 equal pieces. Fold one half of the pastry in half again and make slits in the middle (around 2 cm intervals), making sure to leave a border.

5. Place apple filling in the middle of the pastry and brush egg wash on the sides of the pastry. Unfold the slitted half and place on top of the base. Trim the edges for a neat appearance.

6. Using a fork, press down on the edges to seal the pastry together, Brush with egg wash.

7. Bake until golden brown.

individual apple pie

Today marks the end of year 11 for me. For some of my friends, year 11 ends in about a week. This is the start of a 2 months + holiday. I'm going to look for a job again, since the last time there was a communication error =="

I hate eating apples raw, so the avoid that, I used about half of the supply of apples in apple pie. Cooked apple is more softer and has more flavour. But the thing about cooked apple is that you'll either love it or hate it. For example, my aunty and uncle refuse to eat cooked apple or apple pie because they think it's weird eating cooked apple. After making "spiced apples" in food tech class a few years ago, I have restrained myself from cooking apples, because it was so horrible. But after following a recipe from Lettuce Club, I started making it again.

Surprisingly, the pastry was easy to work with. I had it at room temperature for quite a long time and despite slightly breaking due to the thin-ness, it didn't crumble or was hard to work with. I wonder what the secret was? The weather or wholemeal flour?

***

individual apple pie

pastry adapted from Tools and Techniques by Thomas Keller

apple filling adapted from オレ様カフェのきゃらめるりんごパイ
later edited by me

oven:

165 degrees Celsius

fan forced

ingredients:

makes 10 x 10cm diameter 4 cm deep individual tarts

or 23 cm diameter tart with a lattice top

pastry:

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup wholemeal flour
• 4 tsp sugar
• pinch salt
• 185 grams unsalted butter
• 7 Tb ice water
  (water from the fridge is fine)

apple filling:

• 1 lemon
• 9 apples
  (I used a mix of pink lady and sundowner)
• 1/3 cup sultanas, cooked
  (bring to a boil under low heat until sultanas are soft and plump, drain and dry)
• 50 grams unsalted butter
• 30 grams sugar
• cinnamon powder to taste
  (I used about 1/2 tsp and a pinch)

other:

• 1 beaten egg
• almond flakes

method:

1. Sift flour into a mixing bowl. Check the husks in the sift and add them into the flour. Mix well with the sugar and salt.

2. Dice cold butter into cubes and coat with flour. Pulse in a food processor until the butter resemble little lumps.

3. Pulse while adding ice water. When dough forms, clump together and slightly flatten.

Note: The dough should come together with a pinch. If not add 1 Tb of water at a time until it does.

1. Juice the lemon and put juice in a mixing bowl. Peel the apples, cut into 8 wedges and later into bite sized pieces. Mix the apple with the lemon juice to stop it browning.

2. Melt the butter and sugar in a non stick pan under high heat.

3. When sugar turns brown add the apples and cooked sultanas. Cook the apples until colour changed and apple softens. (Takes about 6-10 minutes) Add the cinnamon in the last 2 minutes of cooking.

4. Divide the pastry into 20 even sized balls. Take 2 balls and roll out 1 1/3 of it thinly for the case. Shape pastry into the tart case. Trim off the excess sides.

5. Fill the case to the brim with apple filling. Using the remaining 2/3 of dough, roll out the cover, trim the excess and crimp the sides with a fork.

6. Brush the tops with beaten egg and arrange almond slices on top.

7. Bake for 30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.

Warm filling of cinnamon flavoured apples and sultanas