michelle picker cooks

These pretty little tarts look like flowers and make a delicious dessert or afternoon tea.

Preheat your oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Apply a generous amount of butter to 6 large muffin tins. Peel and core 4 firm apples and slice them very thinly – a mandolin slicer is ideal for this. Arrange the slices of apple around the muffin tins. You will need to put in a few layers until the muffin cups are almost full. Sprinkle them with a little ground cinnamon. Mix 1 cup of fresh ricotta cheese, 1 small egg, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, the grated rind of ½ a lemon and some sugar to taste. Spoon as much of this filling into the centre of each apple flower as possible. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes or until the apples are soft and browning and the centres are set. Allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes then carefully remove the tarts with a spoon or small spatula. Serve sprinkled with icing sugar.

*from a recipe by Confessions of a Tart