Gruberg, Apple and Pear Tart

PASTRY

• 320 g   cake flour
• 180 g   cold butter, cubed
• 5 ml     salt
• 30 ml   icing sugar
• 180 g   KLEIN RIVER GRUBERG cheese, grated
• 60 ml   cold water
• 30 ml   lemon juice
• 1 egg beaten with 15 ml milk, for egg wash
• White sugar, for sprinkling

FILLING

• 60 g butter
• 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 4 firm pears, peeled, cored and sliced
• 400 g   tinned pie apple
• 30 ml   lemon juice
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 5 ml ground cinnamon
• 160 g soft brown sugar
• 2 ml salt
• 30 ml cornflour

METHOD:

TO MAKE THE PASTRY

1. Place the flour, butter, salt and icing sugar in a food processor and pulse to mix. Add the grated cheese and mix well.
2. Combine the water and lemon juice, and add to the flour and cheese mixture – do not add it all at once. Pulse until the dough comes together, only adding the rest of the liquid if needed.
3. Remove the dough from the food processor, and then divide into two disks.
4. Cover each disk with clingfilm and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
5. Roll out one disk of pastry on a lightly floured work surface to about 3 mm thick. Use the pastry to line a greased 24-cm pie dish, crimp the edges neatly using your fingers or a fork , brush the edges with the egg wash and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
6. Roll out the other pastry disk to about 3 mm thick and cut out heart shapes. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with some sugar and keep aside.

TO MAKE THE FILLING

1. Melt the butter in a large frying pan on medium heat and add the sliced apples and pears. Pan-fry for a few minutes until the fruit starts to soften slightly. Note: the apples and pears can still be a little crisp – do not overcook.
2. Remove from the frying pan and cool.
3. Combine the cooled apples and pears, tinned pie apple, lemon juice, zest, cinnamon, brown sugar and the salt.
4. Mix in the cornflour.
5. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

TO ASSEMBLE THE TART

1. Drain the filling if it is too moist then spoon it into the pie crust.  Top with the pastry hearts (overlapping)– leave some gaps between the filling and the pastry hearts as vents for steam.
2. Sprinkle over some sugar.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then turn down the heat to 170 °C and bake until cooked and golden brown. Cover lightly with foil if the crust becomes too dark before being cooked and crisp in the oven.
4. Cool completely, remove from the pie dish and dust with icing sugar just before serving.