Apple & tea tart

We’re making an apple and tea tartelette. It’s an almond tartelette that’s filled with a frangipane, an apple and cinnamon compote, a whipped tea ganache, an apple mouse and a tea crumble.

The apple compote

20	Janogored apples
4	star anise
6	cardamom pods
4	long peppers
3	cinnamon sticks
	lemon juice
	cane sugar

The apple compote will also be the base for the apple mousse. Start by peeling the apples. I use Jonagored apples. And no, not Jonagold. Jonagored is its improved brother. Now when peeling large batches, I like to use my drill and a sharp peeler. I know you have special tools for this. But those peel so thick and slow. This is way more efficient and let’s be honest, fun. Just stick a new or very clean spade drill bit on your drill and you’re good to go. Keep the peels and trimmings for later. Now cut the apple of the core. If needed also trim and top and bottom. Now weight the total weight and transfer the apple into a pan. Then place the star anise into a tea sieve together with the cardamom pods, the long peppers and the cinnamon sticks. Close the sieve and place it in the pan with the apples. Now also add a drizzle of lemon juice and 5% of cane sugar. So, if you had 1 kg of cleaned apple you need to add 50 grams of sugar. Now cover it with a lid and let it simmer on a medium low heat till the apples are fully cooked and there are no more chunks. Then let it cool down completely. After take the spices out of the compote and keep it in your fridge for later.

To process the peels and cores I making my own apple cider vinegar. Just mix 2 liters of water with 100 grams of cane sugar and stir it until the sugar has dissolved. Now submerge all the trimmings and place a smaller lid on top to insure everything stays submerged. Then cover it with a dark cloth and a proper sized lid. Let this sit for two weeks and stir it every day. I will continue this recipe in two weeks, so be sure to follow!

The apple mousse

5 leaves or 8.3 g	gelatin
450 g	apple compote (we just made)
25 g	lemon juice
450 g	cream 35% fat

First soak the gelatin in cold water. Now mix the apple compote with the lemon juice and heat this up till it starts to steam. Then turn off the heat and dissolve the gelatin. Now blend it till smooth. Once smooth set it aside for later. When mixing the base with the cream temperature is key. Too hot and it will split. Too cold and the gelatin starts to work giving you an uneven mousse. Then pour the cream into a bowl and start beating it with a whisk. It needs to have the texture of a thin yoghurt. You can also whip it a bit further, but for filling a mold I prefer the thin yoghurt texture. This will give the best detail in the mold. Now while mixing add the apple base. The base needs to be at room temperature. Fold it in till it’s an even mousse. Then fill your desired mold with the mousse and tap it a couple of times to remove any air bubbles. Let it set in your fridge for 30 minutes and then freeze it till solid.

The whipped tea ganache

4 leaves or 6.6 g	gelatin
760 g	cream 35% fat
10 g	tea leaves (I use a Ceylon black tea)
260 g	white chocolate
200 g	mascarpone

Begin with soaking the gelatin in cold water. Then pour the cream into a pan and bring it to a simmer. Once it’s simmering turn off the heat and dissolve the gelatin. Then add the tea. I use a Ceylon black tea. Mix it and let it infuse for 5 minutes. Meanwhile mix the white chocolate with the mascarpone. After the 5 minutes pass the hot infused cream through a fine sieve in the bowl and blend it till smooth. Insure you scrape the side of the bowl in between. Then cover it and let it cool down in your fridge for at least 8 hours. I always leave it overnight. Later on we finish it.

The tea crumble

5 g	tea leaves (I use a Ceylon black tea)
3 g	salt
6 g	baking powder
350 g	flour
175 g	white caster sugar
25 g	egg
250 g	cold cubes of butter

First mix the tea leaves with the salt and the baking powder. Blend it into a fine powder. Then place the flour on your worktop and use the bowl to make a well in the middle. Fill it with the white caster sugar, the tea powder, the egg and the cold cubes of butter. Now start mixing all the ingredients and rube it between your hand to create a nice coarse crumble. Don’t overmix it, you want a nice crumble. Then spread it on an oven tray. My trays are coated, but otherwise be sure to use a silicon sheet. Now bake it at 170 degrees Celsius for around 25 to 30 minutes. Mix it every 5 to 10 minutes. Then keep it dry and covered for later.

The frangipe

300 g	egg
120 g	butter
300 g	sugar
90 g	flour
3 g	salt
300 g	almond powder
2	vanilla pods

Mix the egg with the butter, the sugar, the flour, the salt and the almond powder. Then cut the vanilla pods in half and scrape out the seeds. Add the seed to the mixing bowl and start mixing it on a low speed. Keep on mixing till it’s an even batter with no lumps. Transfer it into a piping bag and keep it in your fridge for later.

The tartelette shells

540 g	flour
240 g	icing sugar
330 g	butter
90 g	almond powder
21 g	salt
90 g	beaten egg

Place the flour on your worktop and make a well in the middle. Fill it with the icing sugar, the butter, the almond powder, the salt and the beaten egg. Now start mixing all the ingredients and then knead it into a nice dough. Don’t overmix it, once it’s a beautiful dough stop kneading to prevent too much gluten from forming. Then transfer it into a bowl and let it rest in your fridge for at least 1 hour. After the hour dust your worktop with flour and roll the dough into a sheet that’s between 2 to 3 millimeters thin. If needed dust some more flour in between. Then cut half of the dough in long stripes and gently take it of your worktop. Now press it on the side of some perforated rings. Keep the dough as cold as possible so it doesn’t break. Once you’re happy with that press the ring in the remaining dough and then place it on a silicon sheet. Now use the back of a knife or a pallet knife to clean up the edges and then use a fork to make small holes at the bottom of the tartelette, this prevents the dough from raising up. Then back them at 170 degrees Celsius for around 15 minutes.

50 g	egg yolk
50 g	cream 35% fat
2	Jonagored apples

Meanwhile mix the egg yolk with the cream. We use this to make the tartelettes shine and it helps retaining it's crispy texture. Now cut the apples in 4 and remove the core. Then slice them in thick even slices and keep them in your fridge for later. Once the tartelettes are done let them cool down for 5 minutes and then remove the baking rings. If needed use a grader to thighty up the outside and the top. Then use a brush to add a thin layer of the glaze on both the inside and outside of the tartelettes. Now add a layer of the frangipane on the bottom of the tartelettes and sprinkle some raisins on there. Then cover it completely with the apple slices and bake them for another 15 minutes till golden brown. After that let them cool down completely. Keep it aside for later.

How to finish the tart

Transfer the tea ganache into a bowl and start beating it. Beat it till medium stiff peaks start to form. This takes around 2 to 3 minutes. Don’t over whisk it otherwise the ganache will split. Then transfer it into a piping bag. Now take the tartelettes and cover the bottom with the apple compote. Create an even layer with a pallet knife. Then fill it all the way with the whipped tea ganache and level it as well. If needed add some more ganache. Now place the frozen apple mousse on a tray and cover it with a layer of white chocolate brush. In the first episode of this special I already showed how to make your own, but here I wanted to show that it’s also possible to use a premade can. Just follow the instructions on the label. Now when still frozen gently place the mousse on the tartelette and let it defrost. Then decorate the outside with the big tea crumble chunks and it’s ready to be served!