Apple yeast sugar tart

I love discovering things, and equally like rediscovering them – I bet you all do, too.

After leaving this book unattended for a couple of years – I checked my Amazon account and saw that the book was purchased in June, 2006 – it has found a way lately into my kitchen; after making the soup with tiny omelettes, I went through the book again – 824 pages of it – and bookmarked many, many recipes. This is one of them – a tart that my MIL called “delicious”. :)

Apple yeast sugar tart
from The Cook's Companion

1 ¾ cups (245g) all purpose flour, sifted
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 egg
½ cup (120ml) warm whole milk
2 tablespoons (28g) softened unsalted butter
2-3 eating apples – I used Gala apples
1/3 cup (67g) demerara sugar
½ cup (120ml) thick cream*

Place flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a bowl. Whisk egg with milk and mix into flour mixture. Work in butter and knead to a smooth, thick batter – I used my Kitchen Aid with the hook attachment. Place in a buttered bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a draught-free place for 30 minutes. Knock back dough, then press it into a 22cm buttered pie plate or loose-bottomed flan pan, cover with plastic and allow to recover for 30 minutes (it will have puffed slightly).

Preheat oven to 225°C/437°F. Peel apples, cored them and cut into eighths. Press apple slices into the dough, and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Place pie plate/flan pan on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 200°C/395°F. Spoon cream over apples and bake for 20 minutes. The top should be slightly caramelized and the tart light and spongy. Eat warm.

* I used heavy cream and whipped it to soft peaks before pouring

Serves 4

Coconut ice cream

I wasn’t going to post another coconut recipe so soon, but this a revolutionary ice cream: I’ve made it several times already by my husband’s request – the same husband who’ll only eat either chocolate or stracciatella ice cream. That’s quite something – almost a solar eclipse. :)

The recipe comes from here, but I first saw it on Valentina’s blog.

Coconut ice cream
from Australian Gourmet Traveller

½ cup (50g) unsweetened desiccated coconut
1 ¼ cups (300ml) heavy cream
1 ¼ cups (300ml) whole milk
½ cup (100g) demerara sugar
6 egg yolks
1 tablespoon dark rum*

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Spread coconut on a baking sheet and roast, stirring occasionally, until golden (4-5 minutes). Transfer to a medium saucepan, add cream, milk and demerara sugar, then bring to the simmer over low heat. Simmer for 1 minute, remove from heat, cover and stand for 25 minutes to infuse.
Meanwhile, whisk yolks in a heatproof bowl to combine, then add cream mixture, whisking continuously to combine. Return to pan and stir continuously over low heat until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon thickly (5-6 minutes). Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl placed over ice, pressing solids to extract all liquid (discard solids), stir in rum and cool completely. Chill for 4-5 hours.
Freeze in an ice-cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions and freeze until required.

* I have made this ice cream with and without the rum and we prefer it without the liquor

Makes 800ml