Rustic apple and pear tart recipe

This rustic homemade apple and pear tart not only looks great but tastes good too. This simple recipe is easy to make and is a great to give a delicious twist to two classics that everyone loves. Total time to prepare and cook this tart is just over an hour, but the sticky sweet apple flavour along with the tangy pears is well worth the wait. Although these two fruits make an amazing combo, you can also let your culinary creativity run wild and think of other combinations, like apple and plum, or pear and peach? You can even be the most thoughtful host in history and survey guests before you have them over for dinner to surprise them with their favourite fruit. If you’re feeling like going all the way, making your own pastry only takes four ingredients - flour, sugar, butter and one egg – plus a pinch of salt. However, if you’re running short on time and just want to speed up the process, you can use already made pastry. Once your rustic homemade apple and pear tart is all ready and out of the over, dust with icing sugar and serve with warm custard or a scoop of ice cream.

Ingredients

For the pastry:

• 200g plain flour
• 2tbsp caster sugar
• Good pinch of salt
• 125g (4oz) unsalted butter, chilled and diced
• 1 medium egg

For the filling:

• 1tbsp light muscovado sugar
• 2tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 level tbsp cornflour
• 3 ripe pears
• 3 apples
• 1tbsp milk
• 2tbsp apricot jam
• Baking sheet, lined with baking parchment

Method

1. To make the pastry: Put the flour, sugar, salt and butter in a food processor, or a bowl. Whizz or rub in to coarse crumb stage. Add the egg and bring together to a smooth dough. Flatten to a disc. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins.
2. Set the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. To make the filling: Mix the sugar, cinnamon and cornflour in a large bowl. Peel, core and slice the pears, core and slice the apples and toss them in the sugar mix.
3. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface, or on the baking parchment, to a rough round, about 30cm. Lift onto the baking sheet. Arrange the fruit in the middle, leaving a border of 8-9cm. Using the sides of the paper to help lift the pastry, bring up the edges all round, up and over the fruit, but leaving some showing. Brush the pastry with milk and sprinkle with a little sugar, if you like. Bake for 35-40 mins until golden.
4. Warm the jam and brush it over the fruit to glaze it. Serve with custard or cream.