Ingredients

Use filo pastry to make these delicious tarts – topped with a ground almond mixture and sliced South African apples and pears.

Vegetable oil, for greasing
270g pack filo pastry sheets, thawed if frozen
50g butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
80g ground almonds
25g soft brown or caster sugar
1 South African pear, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 South African apple, cored and thinly sliced
Icing sugar, for sprinkling

Serves
8

Preparation time:
25 minutes

Cooking time:
20-25 minutes

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan oven 160°C, Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets with vegetable oil.

2. Unroll the sheets of filo pastry and cut into 8 equal squares. Brush each individual square with a little melted butter, stacking them up to make 8 piles on the baking sheets.

3. Reserve 1 tbsp of beaten egg, and then mix the rest with the ground almonds and sugar. Share this mixture between the piles of pastry, spreading it in the middle to leave a border around the edge. Top half with the sliced pear and the rest with the sliced apple. Brush the reserved egg around the pastry borders, and scrunch up the pastry a little to enclose the filling.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Serve the tarts while warm, sprinkled with a little icing sugar.* Cook’s tips: Keep filo pastry covered with a clean damp cloth while you’re working to prevent it from drying out. Serve the tarts with a dollop of crème fraiche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for extra yumminess.

South African Fruit