Macadamia Tartlets with Caramelised Apple RECIPE

Ingredients
Thick cream, to serve
Crumble
30g macadamia nuts, toasted
15g caster sugar
5g cocoa powder
10g butter
Pastry
75g unsalted butter, chopped and softened
1 egg
60g icing sugar, sifted
20g almond meal
165g plain flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
Caramelised Apple
25g butter
2 tbs brown sugar
2 apples, peeled, cored, cut into 8 wedges
zest and juice of 1 lemon

Filling
140g caster sugar
2tbs water
50ml milk
50ml double cream
75g unsalted butter, chopped
2 eggs, lightly whisked
140g macadamias, toasted, coarsely chopped

Method

To make macadamia crumble, heat a medium frying pan over a low heat. Add butter, macadamias, sugar and cocoa. Cook until mixture is crisp. Turn mixture out onto a tray. Cool completely. Process to form coarse crumbs.
To make pastry, place butter, egg, sugar and almond meal in bowl of electric mixer fitter with a paddle. Mix until smooth and combined. Add flour in 3 batches, mixing until just combined. Turn onto a floured surface and shape into a disc. Cover with cling film. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Lightly grease four 8cm round tins with removable bases.
Roll out pastry between two sheets of baking paper until 4mm thick. Line tins with pastry and trim edges. Line pastry shells with baking paper. Fill with baking beads or rice. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180C.
To make caramelised apples, heat butter and sugar in a small frying pan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Stir in zest and juice. Add apples. Cook, turning, until tender and caramelised.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove paper and beads. Bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden and crisp. Cool completely.
To make filling, stir sugar and water in a medium heavy based saucepan over medium heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Use a wet pastry brush to brush any stray grains on side of pan back down into mixture. Bring to a boil. Boil, uncovered, without stirring, until mixture begins to turn light golden brown. Remove from heat.
Place the milk and cream in a small saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Whisk into the caramel until well combined. Leave to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in butter one piece at a time. Stir in egg and nuts.
Pour filling into the cooled tart shells. Reserve remaining filling for brushing the plate.
Bake tarts for 35-40 minutes or until just set. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 20 minutes.
Reheat remaining filling and brush onto plates. Dust tarts with sifted icing sugar. Serve with crumble, apples and cream
.