Blue cheese & apple tart

First recipe of the new year! As you know, it’s almost a month that I moved into my new apartment, and everything is pretty sorted now! So, little by little, it’s time to have friends coming over to visit, to have kind of a diluted housewarming party :).

Last Friday I invited my friends M. & E. for dinner, also because they had to pick up my old telly – one in the house is enough and Tom’s one has more functions than mine.

At first I thought of preparing the usual puff pastry quiche with feta cheese and courgettes, but then I said to myself ‘again???‘, and I decided to try something more adventurous. Instead of puff, I used shortcrust pastry, and I tried an unusual combination of flavours: the punch of blue cheese and the sweetness of Royal Gala apples.

Just one little (big) flaw. The pastry was slightly undercooked on the bottom. Since it was the first time I’ve ever used shortcrust, I didn’t have any experience in blind baking. I followed the instructions on the pack but the pastry was probably too thick (it wasn’t a ready rolled one), and I should’ve left baking for at least 10 more minutes. Something to remember for the next time!

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

• 1 pack shortcrust pastry (I suggest the ready rolled one)
• 2 Royal Gala apples
• 250g blue cheese
• 250ml single cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• freshly grated pepper
• pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180ºC fan. Line a tart baking tray with the shortcrust pastry, making sure it perfectly adheres to the rim. Puncture all over the pastry with a fork to ensure an even bake, cover with a sheet of baking paper and pour over enough rice/beans/baking beads to fill the whole tart. Blind bake for at least 15 minutes or even longer, depending on the thickness of the pastry.

In the meantime, peel the apples, remove the core and evenly chop them in small pieces. Tip them in a bowl, and crumble over the blue cheese. Mix evenly with a spoon.

In another bowl, crack the eggs, season with salt and pepper and whisk thoroughly. Pour the cream in, add the parsley and whisk again to mix well.

Once the pastry is baked, take it out of the oven, remove the rice/beans/baking beads and the baking paper, and spoon in the apple and cheese mixture, spreading it evenly on the crust. Pour over the egg and cream, and return to the oven for 40 minutes.

Let it cool down for 10 minutes, and serve with a fresh garden salad.

Enjoy!

Teo