Grated Apple and Lemon Tart. Memory Lane.

This is one of my favourite prep school cooking memories.  Biting into a slice of apple and lemon tart on a sweet pastry base.  It seemed so magical aged eleven to be able to create such a thing of beauty and deliciousness.

So last week I looked for a grated apple and lemon tart recipe.  Mary Berry's Canterbury Tart seemed as close to my recollection as any other, so I followed it almost to the word.  However, to be true to my memory I grated all the apples rather than sliced some and used just dessert apples rather than cooking apples.  It worked a dream and took me straight back to the days of taking empty biscuit tins to school on Wednesdays to carry my creations home...

I do strongly believe that cooking lessons should be compulsory in every prep school.  How else are kids every supposed to understand food, diet and be able to cook healthy food for their older selves and families?  Honestly, what is more important for life - remembering the order of Henry VIII's wives or knowing how to make a proper home cooked dinner?

Ingredients

For the pastry

100 g unsalted butter, cubed
200 g plain flour
25 g icing sugar, sifted
1 free range egg, beaten

For the filling

4 eggs
200 g caster sugar
2 lemons
100 g unsalted butter, melted
4 dessert apples, coarsely grated (no need to peel)
25 g demerara sugar

Method

1. Make the pastry.  Rub the butter into the flour and icing sugar until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.  The stir in the egg and bring together to form a dough.  Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
2. Roll the pastry dough on a floured surface (don't worry if it crumbles just piece it all together) and line a round 28 cm tart tin leaving a lip around the edge, chill for another 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 200C.
4. Make the filling.  Beat the eggs, sugar, rind and juice of the lemons together in a large mixing bowl.
5. Stir in the melted butter and apple then pour the mixture into the prepared and chilled pastry base.

6. Sprinkle over the demerara sugar and place on a heavy baking tray in the oven for about 40 minutes or until the centre feels firm to the touch and the pastry in brown.
7. With a serrated knife trim the pastry and allow to cool for 15 minuted in the tin.

Then remove from the tin.  It is Perfect warm with a good splash of cream.