Canterbury Tart

Canterbury Tart uses Bramley apples for a perfect dessert or accompaniment to afternoon tea, in true British style with heavy cream. This recipe was sent by a reader in the United Kingdom.

Very few countries have a Bramley apple, but it is almost certainly the best cooking apple. They form a light fluffiness like no other apple when cooked.

If you don't have Bramley apples, you must substitute your local cooking apple. Be careful of quantity, because the average Bramley that I remember weighs close to a pound (450gm).

Never tried making a Canterbury Tart? Read on.
Submitted by David McCarthy, Australia

Pastry Ingredients

• 4oz (100gm) butter, cubed
• 8oz (200gm) plain flour
• 1oz (25gm) frosting (icing) sugar
• 1 egg, beaten (2oz/60gm)

Canterbury Tart Ingredients

• 4 eggs (2oz/60gm size)
• 2 lemons, zest and juice only (Cooking Tip: After you zest the lemons, place them into the microwave for 30 seconds on high. This will increase the amount of juice and make it slightly sweeter.)
• 4oz (100gm) butter, melted
• 8oz (200gm) superfine sugar (castor sugar) (Cooking Tip: If this is a problem to find, place ordinary white sugar into a processor and beat until it is superfine.)
• 2 large Bramley apples (about 12oz/350gm each)
• 2 dessert apples peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 1oz (25 gm) demarara sugar (raw brown sugar)

Method

If making the pastry by hand, rub the butter into the flour and frosting (icing) sugar, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Stir in the beaten egg and bring together to form a dough. This can be done with a food processor, but I just like mixing by hand.

Chill for 30 minutes. Then roll the dough on a floured surface and line an 11 inch (280mm) flange dish or tin. Form a lip around the edge and allow to chill for a further 30 minutes while making the filling.

Preheat the oven to 400F (200C or Gas mark 6).

Beat the eggs, superfine (castor) sugar, grated lemon zest and juice together in a bowl. The zest is just the yellow, not the white pith.

Stir in the warm melted butter.

Coarsely grate the Bramley apples directly into the mixture and mix well.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and spread the runny lemon mix over the base.

Level the surface with the back of a spoon.

Arrange the thinly sliced dessert apples over the top, overlapping the edge slightly.

Sprinkle the demarara (brown) sugar over the top.

Place the flange dish into a baking tray and cook for 40-50 minutes, until the center feels firm and the dessert apples are tinged brown.

Enjoy your Canterbury Tart with cream.

Variations

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