GEEVESTON FANNY
Sydney’s Bourke Street Bakery is famous for its brûlée tarts. We went there, had ’em, loved ’em, stole ’em. Here’s the version we make for the Saturday onslaught in Hobart. The Geeveston Fanny is an apple variety grown locally in Tassie. Truth be known it is not the world’s best cooking apple — but the name is evocative.
MAKES SIX 10 CM (4 INCH) TARTS
Preheat the oven to 170ºC (325ºF/Gas 3). Have six 10 cm (4 inch) tart moulds or pie dishes at the ready.
Roll out the pastry to about 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick. Cut out six pastry discs, slightly bigger than your tart moulds. Lightly press the pastry into the moulds, making sure to get right into the corners. Trim the edges with the back of a knife and place on a baking tray.
Line the pastry shells with baking paper (or flatten a paper case into each one). Fill with baking beads or raw rice, then bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked through.
Remove from the oven and carefully lift out the paper and beads. Leave to cool.
Using a pastry brush, coat the inside of the cooled tart shells with a thin layer of chocolate, to stop moisture migration.
Store in an airtight container until required; the tart shells will keep for a day or so.
WHAT A BLAST
When topping the brûlée, we have always found that a few layers of sugar holds up a lot longer than a single layer, and also gives you a much better ‘crack’ when breaking into the creamy goodness underneath.
APPLE CRÈME
90 g (3¼ oz) apple purée
300 ml (10½ fl oz) thin (pouring) cream
½ vanilla bean, cut in half lengthways, seeds scraped
6 egg yolks
30 g (1 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
Preheat the oven to 90ºC (195ºF/Gas ½). Warm the apple purée, cream and vanilla seeds in a saucepan, then remove from the heat. Leave to infuse for 15 minutes.
Lightly whisk the egg yolks and sugar, then pour in the cream mixture and stir to combine.
Pass the mixture through a fine sieve, into a 15–20 cm (6–8 inch) baking dish.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the custard has set.
TO ASSEMBLE
raw (demerara) sugar, for sprinkling
Allow the custard to cool, then plaster the tart shells full to the brim with the mix.
Sprinkle the top with raw sugar, then use a kitchen blowtorch (or flame thrower, depending on what Grandad keeps in the shed!) to blast the top until caramelised.
These tarts are best enjoyed same day.