Apple Tart Spiced with Herb Bennet Root
Apple Tart Spiced with Herb Bennet Root is a traditional British recipe for a classic tart of pureed apples flavoured with herb bennet root and lemons. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Apple Tart Spiced with Herb Bennet Root.
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
60 minutes
Total Time:
80 minutes
Additional Time:
(+20 minutes chilling)
Serves:
8
Rating: 
Tags : Wild FoodBaking RecipesCake RecipesBritish Recipes
In essence, this is a classic French apple tart, with an apple purée topped with sliced apples and baked in a rich shortcrust pastry shell. In this case, however, the apple purée is flavoured with the wild clove-flavoured spice, dried herb benne root.
Ingredients:
For the Pastry:
175g plain flour
40g butter, diced
40g lard (or substitute white vegetable fat [shortening]), diced
1 egg yolk
water, if necessary
For the Filling:
900g cooking apples
15g
herb bennet root, cleaned, sliced and crushed (or 6 whole cloves)
50g butter
2 tbsp water
4 tbsp
apricot jam
50g caster sugar
grated
zest of 1/2 lemon
225g eating apples
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp caster sugar for sprinkling
Method
Begin with the pastry. Sift the flour into a large bowl then add the fats and rub into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture comes to resemble fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and combine into the flour mix with a knife. Slowly bring the mixture together as a dough, adding a little water if necessary. Knead the pastry thoroughly then wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
Now prepare your filling. Quarter the apples, remove the core and chop into pieces. Melt the butter in a large pan, add the herb bennet root and fry for a minute before adding the apples and water. Cover the pan and allow to cook very gently for about 10 minutes, or until the apples have become very soft.
Rub the apple puree through a nylon sieve into a clean pan then add the apricot jam, sugar and lemon zest. Allow to cook on high heat for about 10 minutes, with constant stirring, until all the excess liquid has evaporated and the apple mix has thickened. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile tip the pastry onto a floured surface and roll until it's thin enough to line a 20cm diameter flan tin. Cover with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Place in an oven pre-heated to 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6) and bake for about 8 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and return the dish to the oven. Bake for about another 5 minutes, or until the pastry has dried out.
Take out from the oven and spoon the apple puree into the dish. Now peel, quarter and core the eating apples. Slice these very thinly, level the surface of the tart and arrange the apple slices in neat overlapping circles over the pie's surface. Brush the top with lemon juice then sprinkle the caster sugar over everything.
Return to the oven and bake for 25 minutes more. The tart can be served either hot or cold.