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Archive of BBC Food Recipes

Marzipan and apple tart with caramel sauce

Prep time over 2 hours
Cook time over 2 hours
Serves 4
Dietary Vegetarian
From Saturday Kitchen
Think you don't like marzipan? Think again! Try this recipe with almonds, apples, caramel sauce and puff pastry.

Method


  1. To make the marzipan, heat the sugar and 75ml/5 tbsp water in a saucepan until dissolved then boil the syrup until the mixture reaches 100C/220F (use a sugar thermometer to measure this). This is known as the soft ball stage, when a drop placed in cold water to cool down, it will form a soft ball.

  2. In a bowl, mix together the ground almonds, egg white and almond extract.

  3. Pour the sugar syrup over the ground almonds and mix vigorously until the mixture forms a thick paste.

  4. Chill the marzipan in the fridge for 1-2 hours, or until firm.

  5. For the tart, preheat the oven to 210C/425F/Gas 7. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.

  6. Roll the puff pastry out thinly on a floured surface. Cut out 4 x 12cm/4½ in circles, and lay them onto the baking tray. Leaving a gap of about a centimetre round the edge, lightly score the middles of each pastry circle with a small sharp knife, making a grid of lines. This will stop the pastry puffing up too much in the middle. Brush each pastry circle with the beaten egg.

  7. Roll the chilled marzipan out to 5mm/¼in thick. (If the marzipan is too hard to rollout, allow it to warm slightly at room temperature.) Cut out 4 x 11cm/4in circles and place each marzipan circle on top of a pastry circle.

  8. Arrange the apple slices, overlapping in concentric circles, on top of each circle of marzipan so that all of the marzipan is covered.

  9. Heat the butter in a saucepan until just melted then brush over the top of the apples and sprinkle the sugar over the top.

  10. Transfer to the oven to bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the pastry is risen and golden-brown.

  11. Meanwhile, place the apricot jam and a tablespoon of water into a saucepan and heat until the jam has melted. Pass the jam through a fine sieve into a bowl.

  12. Remove the tarts from the oven and brush with the melted apricot jam.

  13. For the sauce, heat the sugar and butter in a small saucepan until melted and well combined.

  14. Pour in the double cream and simmer gently for 3-5 minutes, or until the mixture thickens slightly.

  15. To serve, place a tart into the centre of each serving plate, drizzle the caramel sauce around the outside. Top with a ball of ice cream and sprig of mint and serve immediately.

Ingredients

For the marzipan

  • 250g/9oz caster sugar
  • 250g/9oz ground almonds
  • 1 free-range egg, white only, lightly whisked
  • ¼ tsp almond extract

For the tart

  • 500g/1lb 2oz all butter ready-made puff pastry
  • 1 free-range egg, beaten
  • 4 apples, very finely sliced
  • 75g/3oz butter
  • 4 tbsp caster sugar
  • 4 tbsp apricot jam

For the sauce

  • 115g/4oz dark soft brown sugar
  • 115g/4oz butter
  • 175ml/6fl oz double cream

To serve

  • 250ml/9fl oz vanilla ice cream
  • 4 sprigs mint

Shopping List

Marzipan and apple tart with caramel sauce

Fruit and vegetables

Tins, packets and jars

Cooking ingredients

Dairy, eggs and chilled

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