Crunchy Apple and Almond Flan

 Recipe Source :  The Vegetarian Kitchen by Linda Fraser

Ingredients

For the base :

• 1 and 1/2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
• 6 Tablespoon Butter
• 1/3 Cup Ground Almond
• 2 Tablespoon Castor Sugar
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 1 Tablespoon Cold water
• 1/4 Teaspoon Almond essence ( I use vanilla extract instead)

Filling

• 2 Cooking Apples - Peel, core and sliced thinly
• 3 Tablespoon Raisins 

For the Crunchy Topping

• 1 Cup All purpose Flour
• 1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
• 4 Tablespoon Butter diced
• 1/3 Cup Demerara Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Flaked Almonds

Directions

Prepare Flaked Almonds :

1. I do not get flaked almonds readily available in stores here. I soaked almond kernels in hot water for 15 min. Then removed skin and sliced them thinly on chopping board

 

Prepare Ground Almonds :

1. Process 1/3 Cup of almond kernels in a food processor to fine powder, set aside

 

  

Prepare the Pastry Dough :

1. In a wide mixing bowl add AP Flour, Butter , Ground Almonds and combine together.

2. Add castor Sugar, Egg Yolk, 1 Tablespoon Water, Vanilla Extract combine everything together to for a dough

 

 

3. Knead for about 1 min gently and wrap it using a cling film. Then set it aside for 20 min

 

Prepare the Crunchy Topping

1. In a separate mixing bowl combine AP flour, Demerara Sugar, Cinnamon Powder, Butter.

2. Stir in flaked almonds, set aside

Rolling the pastry dough

1. After 30 min rest, remove the pastry dough from cling film
2. Place the dough on parchment paper and roll it thinly

3. Lift the parchment paper holding the sides and gently place the rolled dough on the flan tin. Remove parchment paper

 

 

4. Press the dough gently in the tin and make a lip around the edges

5. Cut off excess pastry
6. Keep it refrigerated for 15 min

Assemble :

1. Preheat the oven to 190 C / 375 F and place a baking sheet in the oven to preheat
2. Remove flan base from refrigerator and arrange thinly sliced apple in concentric circles

 

3. Fill the centre with apples
4.Scatter the raising over sliced apples

5. Place crunchy topping over the apple and cover apples. Press the topping gently

6. Place the flan tin on the hot baking sheet
7. Bake for 30 to 35 min until golden brown and the apples are tender when tested with a skewer
8. Leave the flan to cool for 10 min

Serving :

Serve warm or cold dusted with sifted icing Sugar