Dutch Apple Tart Recipe Megan Whitfield, @M_eganWhitfield
As I write this, I’m going through a lot of changes. Not those ‘as you start to enter puberty you might start notice some differences’ type changes. Those days, I’m glad to say, are firmly in my past.
Ingredients: Pastry: 250g plain flour 125g butter 80g sugar 1 egg
Rather, in a matter of days I’m packing my bags and heading to the Netherlands for six months. As much as I can’t wait for it to begin, the nerves have kicked in and my intake of comfort food has considerably risen.
Filling: 12 apples (750g) 100g sugar 100g currants 1 lemon (rind) 1 egg extra (for glazing)
Nothing says comfort like a family recipe, and what better dish to choose than, fittingly, Dutch Apple Tart? Grandma’s family recipe has travelled the world, making its way from the Netherlands across to South Africa and then down here to Australia. It changes slightly with each set of hands it passes through, but the deliciously buttery pastry and perfectly tart apple remain constant.
Method: Preheat oven to 180°C. Place all pastry ingredients in bowl and knead together. If too sloppy, refrigerate until firm. Reserve ¼ of dough. Roll remaining dough into a circle large to cover bottom and sides of a greased 20cm spring-form tin. Slice apples. Put in bowl with lemon and sugar, then add currants. Arrange fruit mixture over dough. With reserved dough, make lattice pattern over tart. Brush with eggwash made from extra egg and a few drops of water. Cook for 1 hour, or until golden brown.
Soon I’ll be eating it directly by the canals of Amsterdam, soaking in the sights and culture my relatives grew up with. How fitting that the the food to make me feel just a little bit more like a local will also be the food to remind me of home. …Now, to figure out how to cook pastry without an oven.
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