'The Great SA Bake Off': Matthew’s almond & rooibos apple rose tart recipe

Durban Scientist Matthew Jones upped his game on the third episode of the third episode of 'The Great South African Bake Off' 2016. Try his impressive dessert recipe

Makes: 1 tart

Pastry:

90g butter, softened

65g caster sugar

3 egg yolks

200g cake flour

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Frangipane:

10ml (2 tsp) butter

200g ground almonds

90g white sugar

Pinch of salt

2 eggs

5ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence

5ml (1 tsp) finely grated lemon zest

Rooibos syrup:

250ml (1 cup) water

125ml (½ cup) sugar

2 rooibos teabags

Apple roses:

12 pink apples

1 lemon, juiced

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Method:

1) Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 20cm springform tart tin with butter and line the base with baking paper.

2) To make the pastry, beat the butter and sugar together. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, with a small amount of flour. Add the remaining flour and beat together. Wrap the pastry in cling film and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

3) Roll the pastry out to a 5mm thickness and transfer to the tart tin. Prick the base and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

4) Line the pastry case with baking paper, fill with baking beans and blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and bake for a further 10-15 minutes until lightly brown. Allow to cool.

5) Turn the oven down to 160°C.

6) To make the frangipane filling, melt the butter in a pan until browned; allow to cool. Mix the dry ingredients together, then add the melted butter, eggs, vanilla essence and lemon zest.

7) Spoon the filling into the pastry case and spread to even out. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then remove from the tart tin.

8) To make the rooibos syrup, place the sugar and water in a pot and bring to the boil. Add the teabags and boil for 3-4 minutes. Remove the teabags and boil for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

9) To make the apple roses, use a vegetable peel to peel the bottom third of each apple, discard the peel. Brush the exposed apple with lemon juice to stop it from browning.

10) Peel the remainder of the apple into strips 20cm long and 2cm wide; each strip should have about 5mm of pink apple skin along the edge. Brush the strips with lemon juice to prevent browning.

11) Transfer the apple strips to a bowl and microwave on high for 15-20 minutes or until softened.

12) Roll each strip into a rose with the pink peel at the top. Square off the base with a knife, if necessary, and place on top of the tart. Brush with the rooibos syrup.