Madhouse recipe : Rosebud Apple Tart

I saw the idea of using red apple peel to make rosebuds to decorate the top of an apple pie in a magazine ages ago so when I spotted some red apples in the fruit bowl, I decided to give it a go. 

 Rosebud Apple Tart

ingredients :

1 shortcrust or flaky pastry base (homemade or shop bought)

4 red apples

2tbsp sugar

a drizzle of maple syrup

1tbsp cinnamon

a little lemon juice

75g butter

300g icing sugar

75ml milk

30g custard powder (I used my Spanish Crema Pastelera)

Use the pastry to line your pie tin. Prick with a fork all over. Bake it blind (filled with baking beans or rice if you want to keep it nice and flat) while you sort out the filling.

Wash the apples. Use a knife to thickly peel them. Put the peel to one side.

 Chop the remaining apple into pieces and put it in a saucepan with the sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, maple syrup and a little water. Cook over a low heat until it is soft and caramelised but still in chunks. 

Spread over the pastry base

I decided to recreate the filling from the Nanaimo Bars as they were such a hit. Melt the butter. Whisk together the icing sugar, custard powder, butter and milk (I used Provamel rice almond milk but regular milk is fine) until it becomes thick and creamy. Add a bit extra custard powder and/or icing sugar if it's not firm enough. Spread the mixture over the apples.

Put the apple peel in the microwave for 15 seconds so it is nice and pliable. Roll it into rosebud shapes and stand it vertically in the custard filling.

Pop in the fridge to firm up (the warm peel will melt the custard icing slightly so it needs to be chilled) and eat cold.