This dessert is a real showstopper. Cooking juicy Evercrisp apples low and slow in a spiced syrup leaves them caramelised, tender but slightly chewy and with an intense flavour. Lemony cream flavoured with honey is mixed with Greek yoghurt to cut through the sweetness.
Serving the dessert is a breeze if cook the apples a few days in advance and prepare the cream ahead of time. All you’ll need to do is assemble it. The whole thing is brought together in the crisp M&S sweet shortcrust base — a total hero product, because who has time to make pastry over Yom Tov?
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
4x M&S Evercrisp apples
For the syrup:
250g sugar
500ml water
3 cinnamon sticks
2 x star anise
For the filling:
100ml double cream
135ml Greek style yoghurt
2 tbsp M&S Mexican wildflower honey
1 large lemon, zest
1 x M&S all-butter sweet pastry case
To garnish
A handful M&S shelled pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
Method:
- Wash the apples then quarter and core them. Cut each quarter into quarters so you have 16 core and pip-free wedges.
- In a large pan, melt the sugar in the water over a medium heat and once it has melted, add the cinnamon sticks and star anise. Bring to a boil then add the apples and turn the heat down super low so that they cook very slowly so that they become gooey but do not fall apart. This will take about an hour.
- Once they are cooked, turn off the heat and leave them to cool in the syrup. When cool, remove the apples to a new container with a slotted spoon. Reserve the syrup – it will be useful for using in festive cocktails or over a fruit salad to give it a bit of sweetness.
- To make the filling, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks and holds its shape. Beat in the yoghurt together with the honey and lemon zest keeping some zest aside for garnish. Set aside until you are ready to assemble the tart.
- Just before you are ready to serve it, place the tart shell on a plate or cake stand. Spoon the cream into it and then arrange the apple slices over the top.
- Decorate with chopped pistachio nuts and grated lemon zest.