French Apple Flan
This is a beautiful professional flan, take your time when preparing this and enjoy the look on peoples faces when you tell them you made it yourself. The first thing your going to need to prepare is the sweet pastry, do this in advance even the day before if you wish as it will need to rest before use.
Sweet Pastry
280g diced unsalted butter
70g Icing Sugar
2 Large egg Yolks
350g Plain Flour
Method
1. Place the butter and icing sugar into a food processor.
2. Mix on Pulse setting until the icing sugar is no longer visible, scrape down the sides with a spatula regularly.
3. Add the egg yolk and blend in.
4. Add half the flour and mix until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
5. Stop the machine and add the remaining flour.
6. Mix until the paste forms a ball.
7. Scrape all the pastry from the mixer and form into a neat ball, wrap in Clingfilm and chill (30 minutes at least), this will allow the pastry to rest and firm up prior to use.
Apple Filling
100g Sugar
500g Apples (Granny Smith, Braeburn or Bramleys)
50g Apricot Glaze
50g Caster Sugar
50g Butter
Method
1. Whilst the pastry is resting peel the apples leaving 2 of the best shaped ones for use later.
2. Core the remaining apples and cut into even slices.
3. Place 50g of butter into a pan with the apples and caster sugar. Mix well, cover with a lid and cook on a low heat allowing the apples to stew and go soft.
4. Once cooked remove the lid and cook until the excess liquid has evaporated.
5. Pass the puree through a sieve or a liquidiser and cool.
Sweet Pastry
280g diced unsalted butter
70g Icing Sugar
2 Large egg Yolks
350g Plain Flour
Method
1. Place the butter and icing sugar into a food processor.
2. Mix on Pulse setting until the icing sugar is no longer visible, scrape down the sides with a spatula regularly.
3. Add the egg yolk and blend in.
4. Add half the flour and mix until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
5. Stop the machine and add the remaining flour.
6. Mix until the paste forms a ball.
7. Scrape all the pastry from the mixer and form into a neat ball, wrap in Clingfilm and chill (30 minutes at least), this will allow the pastry to rest and firm up prior to use.
Apple Filling
100g Sugar
500g Apples (Granny Smith, Braeburn or Bramleys)
50g Apricot Glaze
50g Caster Sugar
50g Butter
Method
1. Whilst the pastry is resting peel the apples leaving 2 of the best shaped ones for use later.
2. Core the remaining apples and cut into even slices.
3. Place 50g of butter into a pan with the apples and caster sugar. Mix well, cover with a lid and cook on a low heat allowing the apples to stew and go soft.
4. Once cooked remove the lid and cook until the excess liquid has evaporated.
5. Pass the puree through a sieve or a liquidiser and cool.
Assembling, Cooking and Finishing1. Line an 8" flan ring with the sweet pastry 3mm thick; leave the edges overhanging slightly to allow for shrinkage.
2. Dock (Prick) the flan case well to prevent rising during cooking
3. Line the prepared flan case with baking paper, half fill with baking beans and bake at 200°c for approximately 15 minutes.
4. Remove the beans and the baking paper and place back in the oven for a further 5 minutes.5. Allow to cool slightly and then trim the excess pastry from the edges as neatly as possible.
6. Put the cooled apple puree into the flan case and level to the top.
7. Core and cut the reserved apples into quarters.
8. Thinly slice and arrange over the apple puree, slightly overlapping, ensuring all the points of the apple are pointed towards the centre of the flan.
9. Sprinkle with a little caster sugar and bake at 200ºc for about 10-15 minutes
10. When cooked remove carefully from the ring and cool on a cooling rack.
11. Brush or spray with apricot glaze. (Apricot jam let down with hot water and sieved)
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