Equipment
Ingredients
Pastry Dough
- 250 g all-purpose flour, sifted
- 150 g unsalted butter, very cold, diced
- 15 g caster sugar
- 3 g fine sea salt
- 60 ml ice water
Apple Blackberry Filling
- 400 g baking apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
- 100 g blackberries, fresh
- 50 g caster sugar
- 15 ml calvados
- 15 ml lemon juice
- 15 g unsalted butter, diced
Egg Wash & Garnish
- 1 egg
- 15 ml milk
- 15 g demerara sugar, for sprinkling
Calvados Sabayon
- 4 egg yolks
- 50 g caster sugar
- 30 ml calvados
- 30 ml dry white wine
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
In a mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, caster sugar, and fine sea salt. Rub the cold diced butter into the dry ingredients using your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some larger pea-sized pieces remaining.
Gradually drizzle the ice water over the flour mixture, tossing gently until the dough just comes together. Form the dough into a disk, wrap tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
In a large bowl, gently toss the sliced apples and fresh blackberries with the caster sugar, lemon juice, and Calvados. Let the mixture sit while you roll out the dough.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit). On a piece of parchment paper, roll the chilled dough out into a 30 centimeter circle, about 3 millimeters thick.
Arrange the apple slices and blackberries in the center of the dough, leaving a 4 centimeter border around the edges. Fold the edges of the dough up and over the outer edge of the fruit, pleating the dough as you go. Dot the exposed fruit with diced butter.
Whisk the egg and milk together to create an egg wash. Brush the exposed pastry edges with the egg wash and sprinkle the demerara sugar generously over the crust.
Transfer the parchment paper with the tart onto a baking sheet. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the crust is deep golden brown and the apples are tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
Shortly before serving, prepare the sabayon. In a large heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar vigorously until pale and slightly thickened.
Place the heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Continuously whisk the yolk mixture while gradually pouring in the Calvados and dry white wine. Continue whipping until the sauce reaches 70 degrees Celsius (160 degrees Fahrenheit), triples in volume, and becomes thick and foamy.
Slice the warm apple and blackberry tart and serve immediately, spooning the warm Calvados sabayon generously over each slice.
Chef's Notes
- Ensuring your butter and water are ice cold is paramount for a flaky crust. Warm butter will integrate too fully into the flour, resulting in a dense, cookie-like texture rather than distinct flaky layers.
- When whisking the sabayon, use a large, balloon-style whisk and employ a figure-eight motion. This reaches the edges of the bowl where the eggs are most likely to scramble and incorporates maximum air.
- Select baking apples that hold their shape well under heat, such as Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Pink Lady. Avoid excessively mealy apples like Red Delicious.
- The sabayon must be served within minutes of preparation. Because it relies on a delicate foam stabilized only by heat and egg proteins, it will separate and deflate if allowed to sit.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Tart keeps for 3 days. Sabayon does not keep and must be made fresh.
Reheating: Reheat tart slices in a 150C oven for 10 minutes until warmed through.
