Tarte Tatin

The apple harvest is not good this year so all the more reason to make the best use the of the ones we do have. There's nothing like the crunch and flavour of a good Cox's Orange Pippin and that's what I've used in this classic Tarte Tatin which is another case of the simplest things often being the best. Just four ingredients - sugar, butter, apples and puff pastry and you end up with a delicious pud. Cox's are not overly sweet so they balance the sweetness of the caramel perfectly and when they cook they soften but don't turn to mush. Mush is good for some things but not for Tarte Tatin. The story goes that this tart was invented by the Tatin sisters in France. One of the sisters burnt some apples so they quickly covered it in pastry and popped it in the oven to cook. The resulting dessert was served to diners in their hotel restaurant and everyone loved it - hence the Tarte Tatin was born.
It's a forgiving tart, you don't have to be too precise with the pastry, however rustic it looks it's still great. You can change the fruit to pears, pineapple, banana or mango for delicious variations.
The main requirement is the right dish to cook it in, I used a shallow round Le Creuset dish which is ideal for making the caramel on the hob as well as baking the tart. If you don't have one you could use a frying pan suitable for oven use or make make the caramel in a pan then pour it into a good quality tart tin or shallow baking tin (not lose bottomed or you'll end up with a very sticky oven to clean).

Makes one 23cm tart
Serves 6
Takes about 1 hour

5 small Cox's apples, cored, peeled and halved
Juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)
100g caster sugar
50g butter
320g pack ready-rolled puff pastry

1 Coat the apple halves in lemon juice (if using) and set aside. Heat the oven to 200C, fan 180C, Gas 6. Place the caster sugar in a shallow 23cm diameter flameproof, ovenproof dish or pan. Add 3 tbsp water and heat over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat, bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 mins until it turns into a golden caramel.
2 As soon as it turns a rich golden colour remove from the heat and add the apples. Turn to coat in the caramel them turn them all round-side down. Dot with pieces of butter. Place the sheet of pastry over the top, quickly trim with scissors allowing a few centimetres overhang. Roughly tuck the pastry in around the apples, taking care not to touch the caramel as it will hot. Bake in the oven for 20-25 mins until the pastry is golden and crisp.
3 Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 mins. Run a knife around the edges to loosen the pastry then carefully turn the tart out onto a plate, taking care as the caramel will be hot. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or cream.