Warmly spiced apple & walnut crumble tarts with miso butterscotch ice cream, topped with warm, salty-sweet miso butterscotch sauce. Jump to Recipe
Before we start, I want you to keep in mind that this is one of those recipes. Those rare dishes where it would be impossible to stop at one taste, one bite – where trying to share would devolve into an all out war of who could eat the fastest. Each mouthful is a riot of contrasts – cool and creamy meets crisp and warm, salty and savoury meets rich and sweet. You could eat it over and over. Maybe I was overtired from a big baking weekend (did you see that 6 layer 21st cake?!), but the moment of realisation, of achievement, of thinking ‘this is it’, was as exhilarating as winning a race – efforts rewarded.
You know what I mean.
Right now I’m enjoying my first proper moment of stillness since this time last week. The aforementioned baking frenzy (which also included this passionfruit coconut meringue bars and this pear, beetroot and walnut salad with a homemade loaf of ciabatta) and late nights out left me feeling almost jet-lagged with exhaustion. The eight hours at the hospital yesterday were serious struggle-town (though I did manage to scrub in and assist with a mastectomy, if you can call holding retractors assisting).
This new peacefulness has arrived in the form of an extra-hot takeaway flat white from the local cafe, a piece of that passionfruit slice, and a seat on the slouchy soft couch in the sun, computer propped up in my lap. A few hours of blogging time before afternoon lectures!
I think part of the problem is that I have a tendency to overestimate my time. I plan my day as if I somehow expect an extra hour or two to squeeze in there around 2pm, or as if I can do everything at 1.5x speed. It’s either unrealistic optimism or plain stupidity. I must get it from my Dad – Mum always mentally adds an hour to whenever he says he’ll be back from a bike ride for a much more accurate ETA. The girls I live with have learnt the same – that often (not always, but often) my dinner making runs late – 630pm will be 7pm, 7 will be 730. My bedtime does the same. Everything takes a little bit longer than my frontal cortex, that centre for executive functioning, predicts. Research suggests that the brain doesn’t full mature until about age 25, however, and until this time the prefrontal cortex isn’t fully wired up, or myelinated, so doesn’t work as efficiently – though I could say that’s why, I probably just need to set more realistic goals!
But back to these Apple & Walnut Crumble Tarts with Miso Butterscotch Ice Cream. It’s like your childhood apple crumble on steroids. Revamped and rejuvenated, the sort of dessert you could be served at a restaurant and walk away already planning your next trip back. The night after I made it, the winning dessert on Masterchef included a miso caramel component which was labelled “genius” by the judges – a spark of pride and a hint of satisfaction hit, though I wished I could impress them with my version.
It is a crisp, buttery short pastry, topped with thinly sliced layers of tender, cinnamon spiced apple. A golden brown, nutty walnut crumble adorns it, taking the place of a pie crust and allowing the apple to cook thoroughly underneath. The ice cream is melt-in-your-mouth smooth, rippled with streams of unami-salty-sweet miso butterscotch, and gently flows in small rivulets amongst the crumble. Finished off with a final stream of warm miso caramel sauce, swirling in with the ice cream and dripping in small pools on the plate – it is the ultimate apple dessert.
You can see in the photos that I couldn’t help but start sampling one as I went – it was tough to hold back from finishing off the whole thing immediately! And with a little forward planning, it actually doesn’t take too long. Did I mention that it is a no churn ice cream recipe? 15 minutes and straight in the freezer. A few notes on timing are below.
PS. Has anyone seasoned a new wok before? I had a go with mine this morning, but wasn’t sure how much smoke was supposed to be produced, or how brown-black it should go. I used ginger and spring onion to try to get rid of that metallic taint, but any other advice would be welcome!
PPS. A big thank you to Mozi for the white textured plates!
Baker’s Notes:
- The recipe makes 6-8 individual tarts. You could also make one larger tart – keep in mind that it might take a bit longer to cook, however.
- Timetable:
- The day before: make the miso butterscotch (15min) and the no churn ice cream (15min).
- Either the day before, or on the day: make the pastry and refrigerate (15min), make the apple filling (15min), and make the walnut crumble (15 min).
- On the day: line the tart tins, put the tarts together, bake (1 hour).
- Serve with the ice cream and leftover butterscotch sauce.
- 3/4 cup cream
- 85 g unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup white miso
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups cream
- 1 can (400ml) sweetened condensed milk
- ½ tsp vanilla paste , or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence, or seeds of 1 vanilla bean
- 1/3-1/2 cup miso butterscotch sauce (recipe above)
- 228 g flour (just a smidge over 1¾ cups)
- ⅔ cup icing sugar
- pinch of salt
- 165 g butter , chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1 egg
- 1 kg granny smith , peeled and thinly sliced (mine were 800g after this)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup caster sugar
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of allspice
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3/4 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar (or regular brown sugar)
- pinch of salt
- 60 g butter , at room temperature/slightly softened
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Combine the cream and butter in a small saucepan, and cook over a low heat, stirring occassionally, until the butter melts
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Add the miso paste and sugar and stir until the miso has dissolved. Cook for another 5-10 minutes until slightly thickened and shiny. Taste to adjust sugar - remember that it goes in a very sweet ice cream so the saltiness of the miso is good!
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Set aside to cool .
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In a mixer or with an electric beater, whip the cream to stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Whisking the cream continuously, slowly pour the condensed milk mix into the cream until combined.
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Pour ⅓ of the mixture into a loaf tin or other container. Swirl in a few tablespoons of miso butterscotch sauce (be careful not to mix together too much). Pour over another ⅓ of the ice cream base and repeat the swirling, twice more.
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You will have extra miso butterscotch left - keep this for serving the tarts.
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Cover and transfer to the freezer to set for at least 8 hours (ideally overnight) before serving.
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Blitz the flour, icing sugar and salt together in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until a bread-crumb like texture forms. Add the lemon, vanilla and egg and pulse 10 times. The mixture will still be pretty dry and crumbly. Turn out onto a clean surface and gather and press together. Shape into a disc, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours.
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Grease 6- 8 small tart tins or a large 26-28cm tart tin. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured bench to about 3mm thick and line the tins, pressing firmly into the sidees. The pastry will be hard to roll out at first but don’t worry, it will soften as you go. Think of it as an arm workout! If it rips at all or you find that one edge is too thin, it is easy to use the leftover pastry scraps to patch it back together.
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Trim the pastry to form a neat edge - I usually just roll my rolling pin over the edge to cut through the pastry. If you end up with leftover pastry, you can line another set of tart tins later and freeze them for future use, or make more if you have leftover apple mix.
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Rest the lined tins in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 180°C.
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Make the apple mixture by mixing together the sliced apples, lemon juice, caster sugar, flour, cinnamon adn allspice with your fingers to thoroughly coat.
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Make the walnut crumble by combing the flour, walnuts, brown sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until crumbly and combined (see photos)
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Remove the lined tart tins from the fridge. Layer up apple slices inside the tins, using different sizes as you go to fit them as tightly together as you can. You may need to cut some apple slices in half to make them fit without gaps that are too big. Depending on the size of your tins, you may end up with leftover apple - either use it to make more tarts or roast or sautee them separately for a breakfast fruit topping!
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Top the apple slices with walnut crumble mix. Gently press the crumble into the cracks and spaces, and around the inner edge of the pastry, fitting in as much as you can.
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Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the pastry and crumble are golden-brown.
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Cool for at least 15 minutes before popping the tarts out of their tins.
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Serve with a scoop of miso butterscotch ice cream and extra miso-butterscotch sauce, gently warmed.
i’ve been meaning to play around with miso in my baking! it definitely sounds like it would be unique, and i’m sure all that caramel and ice cream would only make the miso smoother and tame some of the funkiness.
Definitely do! This was the first time I have used miso in baking, and I will be doing it again for sure – the unami, saltiness is like an amazing twist on salted caramel. And you are so right, the sweetest of the ice cream really balances it out. Thanks Heather!
This is my kind of dessert Claudia! That ice cream and sauce sound heavenly! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Mary Ann! Any ice cream with warm, butterscotch sauce is always a winner right?
Hi Claudia , can I use prebaked tart shells?..the baking time after putting apples would be less or same ? please advice ! Secondly , white misu is same as green misu, right ?!
Hi Rabiya! You can use prebaked shells, but I wouldn’t recommend it as the apple filling and walnut crumble wouldn’t cook enough before the tart shells got overbaked/burnt. You could try pre cooking the apples by sautéing them in a pan, but it might just be easier to try making your own pastry – it really isn’t that hard! If you don’t have a food processor, you could also make it by handing by rubbing in the butter with your fingertips.
For the miso, I use shiro miso, which is white miso. I think there is only white, red and yellow miso, so I’m not sure what green miso is. This is the miso I used https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/browse/pantry-international-health-food/asian-food?name=hikari-japanese-paste-white-miso&productId=313546
Also see this article for more info about miso – http://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/article/know-your-miso
Imagine the things you’ll be capable of doing when your brain has hit 25! 😀 That layer cake was gorgeous, looking forward to seeing the recipe if you post it. I’m wondering what the pink drip is… Some kind of berry curd, or maybe a ganache? Or just a tinted icing sugar!
I can pretty much imagine exactly how amazing these apple tarts would taste and it hurts because I can’t have any WHYYY
Hahahah I wish! Thanks so much – the layer cake was fun to make, but time consuming! I’m thinking about putting a recipe for a smaller version up here with the drips and flowers still – what do you think? The pink drips were a white chocolate ganache tinted pink with pink gel colouring! It wasn’t quite as thick as I wanted, but I ran out of time to cool it down longer!
And you totally could have some, just make them this weekend! Seriously they are easier than they look, because each component doesn’t actually take that long. I promise!! xx
That’d be really sweet! Maybe with additional directions for making it into a big showstopper birthday cake for those who want to recreate the insta pic, if you have the time, of course. I’m excited about the recipe! It sounds amazing! I want to give it a go and see how it compares to the current front runner for my wedding cake (which is carrot cake O_o)
Ooh will do, it will probably be a month or so away though so if you want the recipe earlier to try out definitely let me know!! It is actually a surprisingly easy cake to make. How far away is your wedding? So exciting! I think cake choosing would be my favourite part of the planning. xx
Loook so yummy!!! 🙂
Thanks!!
You make the most mouthwatering photos on the Internet Claudia! These sound incredible and look stunning <3
Haha I wish..you are waaay too kind Erica! Hope you are doing well and have a good weekend! <3
Oh this is just the sort of winter dessert I would WISH for at a restaurant! And I love the addition of the miso to the butterscotch ice cream – what a perfect contrast of flavours! And is there anything better than apple crumble? Well, now there is!
And I’d like to tell you that once your frontal cortex is fully myelinated that you will be able to time things properly, but as a fully-myelinated 29 year old, I’m still always running late…
As long as it’s not late to dessert I don’t mind though 😉
Thank you so much Amy!! That is so lovely to hear, and definitely give the miso butterscotch a go – the salty miso-ness just has to be experienced. Hahaha I wish that were the case too, but I have a feeling that running late might just how I’m wired! Glad to hear I’m not the only one 🙂
Thanks for replying Claudia , I got confused between misu & wasabi. You are right it does come in red , will look for the one you suggested. I’ll bake a big tart as don’t have individual tart shells on me. Tried the chia pudding & raspberry passion fruit pavlova icecream, great recipes . Can’t wait to try the rest! Xx
No worries at all. Definitely don’t put wasabi in, that would be sooo spicy!! Would love to know how the big tart turns out. Glad the chia pudding and ice cream worked well for you too! xx
Wow, what an amazing combination!
Thank you! x
Well isn’t that just a magical dessert! Claudia has done it again! Pinned!
Thanks so much Jess! x
The pinnacle of pastry is right here, Claudia! Just like you said, warm, cold, crunchy, creamy…. awh, this is a triumph! Pardon me while I lick the screen!! No worries on the pre-frontal cortex. I have the same problem at 45; attempting to cram more things in the day then there is time for. I’m just now learning to cut back. It’s just not possible. You’ve A LOT going on my dear. Be sure to take time for yourself. Breathe. Stop and smell those roses.
YES it is all in the contrasts Traci!! I wish I could lick the screen all the time over at your blog – wouldn’t that be lovely, if we could pull food right out?! Thanks so much – I go on holiday next week so can’t wait to have some time off xx
No need to convince me, Claudia, that this is one of those irresistible recipes! I’m absolutely in love with these tarts. Love the butterscotch ice cream on top too <3
Thanks Beeta! The butterscotch ice-cream melting through the apple absolutely made it. xx
Hi Claudia, this recipe looks awesome, do you think it would work in a large pie tin or best to keep it in individual serves?
Ignore me sorry I just read the instructions properly 🙁
No worries at all! It will work well whatever size tin you have, as long as you have enough pastry to line the tin, apple mixture to fill the tart tin to the top, and enough crumble to cover the apple. It will probably just take a little longer to bake in the large tin 🙂
Would love to know how it goes for you! x
Hello Alesha,
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I made the miso caramel and I must say the inclusion of the miso is genius! I have an ice cream machine so I churned the cream and condensed milk (without whipping the cream) and it turned out beautifully.
Thanks Meredith! So glad you liked the miso caramel (its like a salted caramel but just a wee bit more interesting and less sickly, right?!), and that is a great idea to just churn the cream and condensed milk straight since you have a machine. Thanks for letting me know how you got on! Xx
Wow! This looks absolutely amazing! I love the idea of miso butterscotch ice cream too!
Thanks Eden! The ice cream just takes it to the next level – you’d love the miso butterscotch!
How long do u think I should bake if making it in big tart pan? And also In pastry recipe u have icing sugar .. why icing ,, why not regular. Sugar?
Hi Tabia! If making it in a big tart pan, I would estimate 45-60 minutes, but check it regularly. It is done when the crumble on top is golden brown. The pastry recipe has icing sugar as this will fully dissolve in the sweet pastry, so you don’t end up with sugar crystals. It also helps it bake up nice and crisp!
I made these the other night and they were amazing! I especially loved the crust, it was delicious and perfectly crisp. I will be making these again and again! One small note, though, is that you forgot to include the temperature for the oven. I used 400 degrees and they turned out perfect but I didn’t see a temperature in the recipe. Thank you for the great recipe!
Oh thank you so much for letting me know, so happy to hear you enjoyed them! And so sorry about the missing temperature – it was 180° but it’s the type of recipe that anything from 180° to 200 (375-400F) will work! I’ve updated the recipe now 🙂
incredible! you really are an incredible human being.
I rave about this blog. The icecream was a magical experience – just by itself.
I am testing freezing the pies, so they are a solution for unplanned arrivals.
I wondered if you have ever tried to make triple choc no churn icecream. I have been playing and testing for the last few months, and its still missing that wonderful extra choc sauce thru – like kapiti coast triple choc does. I dont know how they do it. I feel my double choc is wonderful, but still trying to get that triple choc.
Hi Sarah! Thanks so much, that is so lovely to hear. I’m sure they would freeze well.
I actually haven’t tried making chocolate no churn.. I guess you could trial swirling through a chocolate ganache right at the end?