Make Your Own Vegan Apple Rose Tart

I'm a vegetarian with a dairy issue. So eating cakes is virtually impossible for me to do. That's where my expertise comes in and my vegan head switches on. This recipe is vegan and with a good dose of Christmas cinnamon, and it is tasty enough to replace any Christmas cake. This recipe is entirely my own recipe. I am quite good at that. No degree in cooking, mind.

Pastry

225g / 8oz plain flour

pinch of salt

100g / 4oz vegan butter (at room temperature - you can buy soken sha vegan butter at health food shops)

2 1/2 tablespoons cold water

2 tablespoons of sugar

Pastry Method

1) Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add the vegan butter and mix it into breadcrumbs style.

2) Add the water and bring the pastry breadcrumbs to a dough.

3) Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Apple Jam

1 apple with pink skin very finely chopped

1 - 1 1/2  juice of lemon

3-4 tablespoons of brown sugar

4-5 tablespoons of water (you may need more water)

Apple Jam Method

1) Put all the ingrediants into a pan.

2) Cook the apple down and keep gently on the heat until all the liquid is dissolved.

Rose Tart

Vegan pastry

Apple jam

1-2 medium sized red apples  (depending on the size of tin)

Cinnamon or cinnamon sugar.

Rose Tart Method 

I normally use a 5 inch baking for this, but you may make bigger if you wish.

1) Grease the baking tin and roll out the vegan pastry. Put the pastry in the tin and cut it to size. P***k holes with a fork. Place a piece of baking paper over the pastry and weigh it down with baking beads. Blind bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 180`C. A toaster oven is also capable of making this tart. Remove from oven and place tin on a cooling rack.

2) Cut your apple into quarters and core them. Slice very thinly longways. Put them on a plate and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. This will make them soft and pliable. This is important because these will make the roses.

3) Put liberal amounts of apple jam into the blind baked pastry. Spread evenly. The jam will secure the roses into place.

4) Take a slice of apple and using a flat surface roll the apple into a curl and support it at the bottom with your fingers. The pink skin should form the top part of the petal. You can now add more slices around it using this method. You can make the roses as big as you like.

5) Place the rose into the tart. If the jam doesn't secure it immediately, then use a knife to hold it in place.

6) Keep repeating steps 4 and 5 until the tart is full with roses. You may need to add some more jam in.

7) Once the tart is full, then dust with of cinnamon OR liberal amounts of cinnamon sugar. (Remember pure cinnamon is very strong), and bake in the oven at 180`C for 12 - 15 minutes. 

8) Do not remove from the tin immediately, or you can brake the tart and burn yourself. Place the tart on a cooling rack. Once the tin itself is cool, you can remove it easily and continue cooling out of the tin.

9) Serve as dessert for Christmas dinner or as a main dish at a Christmas party, or even any meal. Its great with a dollap of vegan ice cream ... if you can find it in Japan.