It’s raining again and I’m kind of sick of it. I’m so happy I booked my vacation to sunny Dubai and this is my light at he end of the tunnel. By coincidence I read this morning an old post written by Ishita, a Dubai based blogger, whom I met 15 months ago at FBC. Her story conjured up a decade of tinsel memories lived in a city I still call my second home.

Back to the main task and through this mission of cooking from whatever available ingredients at home, I spot my red apples starting to loose glam. I thought, why not use my frozen piecrust and bake this no-fail easy recipe that anyone should give a try. The blend of cinnamon with fresh apples, tangy lemon, and vanilla ice cream makes of it a true delight in every spoonful.

And don’t forget each baked pie is a labor of love:)

Apple Tart

Ingredients

• 250g/1 ready-rolled frozen shortcrust pastry (or pâte sablée), just thawed
• 6 large red apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon (more or less, to taste)
• 3 tbsp limoncello (if not available lemon juice}
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Caramel sauce, to drizzle (optional)

 Preparation

1. Combine apples, sugar, cinnamon and juice in a bowl and cover. Allow to macerate for half an hour.
2. Pre-heat oven to 180°C.
3. Roll out dough on floured surface. Transfer to pie dish. Trim excess and flute the sides. Pierce crust all over with a fork.
4. Arrange apple slices decoratively over the crust –pour remaining syrup over all.
5. Brush the edges of the pastry with egg.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Drizzle with some caramel and serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

To prepare your own crust try Martha Stewart short crust dough