Yes, it’s safe to say that I’d go a long way for a nice piece of apple tart.
Truth is, apples cooked most any way tend to get my vote, though there’s nothing like a bit of deprivation to focus the mind on just what you’re missing. I suspect that I never fantasized about a dessert as much as when I knew that there were several days of high altitude trekking between me and the fabulously titled Captain’s Apple Scrumble. Captain was the keeper of a trekking lodge in Nepal and it probably involved several food-miles (on foot and mostly in an upward direction) to get the apples there. It would have been positively rude not to partake after all that effort!
Luckily, there’s generally no need to travel great distances for deep-filled apple delights as, thanks, to the Mammy, there’s no shortage of the wherewithal for such things at this time of year. It’s harvest-time for her crop of Howgate Wonders, which cook very nicely indeed and which, over the years, have been variously stewed, baked, crumbled, caked, tarted up and served to the ravenous hordes.
In fact, what is it about Mammies and apple tart? All of my formative apple tart experiences centre around the childhood kitchen table, watching, making, baking and eating. And I have seen sons get quite misty eyed when talking of their mother’s apple tart. Seems to me that the production of a certain quota of apple tarts must be written into the Mammies contract… “To love and to cherish, to have and to hold and make apple tart.” Well, amen to that!
Pre-tart Wonders
I’m a bit misty eyed meself after readin that but it’s from garlic and onions or are onions the only ones allowed to water the eye?