Sliced apple flan Dressing up a dessert

Press, 7 October 1987, Page 16

Sliced apple flan Dressing up a dessert

Alison Holst’s

Food Facts (

This is an impressive apple flan. It takes a little longer to slice the apples, then to arrange them attractively, but it is worth doing this if you want something that looks special. The icing sugar glaze, and the jelly glaze are extras, but worth doing if you can find the time, or if you want to make the flan some time before you need it.

Pastry: % cup flour % cup chopped walnuts 60g cold butter about 2 Tbsp cold water Filling: 2-3 apples

2 eggs cup cream Vi-ft cup sugar Measure the flour and walnuts into the bowl of a

food processor. Process until very finely chopped, then add the butter, cut in cubes. Add the cold water, in - a slow stream, while chopping in the butter, using the pulse button. Stop adding the water as soon as the dough is soft enough to press together to form a ball. Refrigerate this while you peel and quarter the apples, and leave them to stand in cold, salted water, to stop them browning. Roll out the pastry to line a 23cm flan tin. Without washing the food processor bowl, mix together the eggs, cream, and sugar.

Cut the core out of each piece of apple, then slice each quarter into 5 to 6 pieces, crosswise. Place the apple quarters so they radiate out from the

centre, arranging them neatly, close together. Pour the creamy mixture over them, then bake at 200 C for 30 minutes, or until the apples are just tender. Leave to stand for 15 to 30 minutes, then serve just like this.

OR dust surface evenly with icing sugar and brown under a grill, masking the custard with triangles of foil, to stop it browning too much. OR if the flan is not to be eaten for some time, brush the surface with heated, melted apple jelly, or apricot jam. Note. Replace the walnuts in the pastry with extra flour, if this suits you better. The walnuts give very good flavour and texture, however.

Note. Use the larger quantity of sugar if you are using sour apples. Make this cutting the apples in halves, rather than quarters, then slicing them. This works best if the flan is large and the apples small.