I had the idea for this apple pastafrola when I spotted some wonderful Reinette apples at a greengrocer’s. They aren’t easy to find here, so you have to make the most of them when you can. The classic filling for this Argentine tart is quince paste, although it is also made with sweet potato paste or dulce de leche. I decided to try it with caramelised apples.
Ingredients for a 28 cm apple pastafrola
Pastry
- 125 g sugar
- 125 g butter
- 325 g plain flour
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
Beat the sugar with the softened butter, add the eggs and keep beating until smooth.
Sift the flour with the baking powder and add it to the mixture. Knead until it comes together into a ball, then cover and leave somewhere cool. Divide the dough into two unequal pieces, one clearly larger than the other. Roll out the larger piece and use it to line a 28 cm tin. Prick the base with a fork and keep it chilled while you make the filling.
Filling
- 1500 g Reinette apples (1100 g once peeled and cored)
- 150 g light brown sugar
- 50 g butter
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 50 g raisins
Wash, peel and dice the apples. Put them in a large frying pan with the sugar, cinnamon and butter. Cook, stirring gently, until they caramelise, then leave to cool.
Assembly
Scatter the raisins over the pastry base, fill with the apples and smooth the top with a spatula.
Roll out the remaining dough, chill it and cut it into 2 cm strips. Lay them over the filling in a diamond lattice and press the ends onto the pastry to seal the edges.
Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C, with bottom heat only, for 35 minutes, until golden.
Serve straight from the tin. It’s delicious warm or completely cold.
