Caramelised Jelly Ears & Apple Tart

For the Candied Jelly Ears -

750 ml Water
750 g Sugar
500 g Jelly Ears

1 Place the sugar and water into a medium sided pan and bring to the boil , stirring occasionally.
2 Add the Jelly Ears, reduce the heat and gently simmer for 1 hour.
3 Turn off the heat and allow to cool.

For the Sweet Pastry -

175 g Softened Butter (Unsalted)
75 g Sieved Icing Sugar
2 Egg Yolks
250 g Sieved Plain Flour

1 Add the icing sugar to the butter and 'cream' them together.
2 Add the yolks and combine them thoroughly.
3 Add the flour and bring it all together to form a dough ball.

For the Creme Amande (Almond Cream) -

200 g Caster Sugar
200 g Softened Butter (Unsalted)
200 g Ground Almonds
4 Medium Eggs
25 g Plain Flour

1 Add the sugar to the butter and 'cream' together.
2 Add the Eggs and mix together.
3 Add the Ground Almonds and Flour and mix to a consistent paste.

To Caramelise the Jelly Ears and Apples -

5 Candied Jelly Ears
2 Medium Sized Apples
6 Tablespoons of the Jelly Ear syrup

1 Chop the Jelly Ears to a fine dice
2 Peel the Apples and cut into 1/8s
3 Add the syrup to a medium sided pan and heat until it becomes an 'amber' colour
4 Add the Apples and Jelly Ears and cook on a low heat until caramelised. You may need to add 25ml of water every now and then to ensure they caramelise evenly
5 Pass through a sieve and reserve the liquid for glazing the tart later.