This recipe reminds me of Mum’s favourite dessert, Baked Jam Roll. Instead of a jam filling this has sliced apple and raisins, but it still has the same syrup poured over the top, which is the best part.

Unlike most pastries where you rub the butter into the flour, the pastry for this tart is made by beating the butter, sugar and water together then adding the flour – which is a little easier. Once the pastry has rested all you have to do is combine the filling ingredients and your tart is done. Except that is for arranging the strips in a lattice pattern over the top, perhaps the fiddliest bit, but well worth it for how terrific it looks when cooked.
Wow – this recipe takes me back to 70s dinner parties when Brandy Alexander Pies, Grasshopper Pies and these Chocolate Chiffon Pies were all really popular. None of them were particularly hard to make and could be made in advance, so except for plating up there was nothing to do out in the kitchen while the guests were at the table. The work was done and you could enjoy yourself……
This recipe comes from the back of a pack of Puff Pastry sheets. Of course you can make your own pastry, but really who has time for that, especially when the bought product is so good. Which leaves the biggest job to be the peeling, coring and slicing of the apples. Definitely worth the effort if you end up with a great pie like the one in the picture.
I’ve been searching through the recipes this year looking for an interesting alternative to a plum pudding for Christmas Day. I’ve discovered that there’s lots and lots of alternatives including this Toasted Nut Cassata, which has fruits, nuts and brandy – all the good ingredients of a Christmas pudding. Haven’t decided yet if I’ll go with it, but it’s definitely a contender.
I often make chocolate mousse using Toblerone chocolate, so I really like the idea of using a block of rum and raisin chocolate to make this recipe. Unlike the Toblerone version this one has a little melted butter in it, but otherwise it’s pretty much the same and as long as you check the chocolate, it’s gluten free.
There’s lots of different fruit dishes with a crumble-type topping, but I think this one is slightly different with its combination of tinned peaches and fresh pineapple. If you have the luxury of lots of fresh peaches you could use poached ones instead of tinned, that would definitely make it even better.