Serves
6 people
France
One of my go-to dessert dishes, this is easy to make, looks beautiful, and is quite light. My secret is to use ready-rolled dough (which I keep in the freezer). I use any apples, but experts say that cooking apples will break apart and become too floury, so dessert apples with a little acidity such as Braeburn or Pink Lady are best. Serve with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream and you have just ended dinner on a high!
INGREDIENTS:
All-purpose (plain) flour, for dusting
11 ¼ oz (320g) all-butter puff pastry
4-6 apples
1 lemon
2 tbsp butter
4 tbsp superfine (caster) sugar
Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. On a flour-dusted surface, roll out the pastry as thinly as you can (around 3-5mm is ideal) and cut out a 22cm circle using an upturned cake tin or plate as a template. Place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and chill in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the tart.
Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. To prevent them going brown, place the slices into a bowl of cold water to which a squeeze of lemon has been added.
Arrange the apple slices in overlapping, concentric circles around the pastry base, leaving a small border. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and 3 tbsp sugar together and brush generously all over the apples and pastry border.
Bake for 20 minutes, then brush again with the butter and sugar mixture and dust with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until golden on top. Serve at room temperature.