Five-ingredient classic apple tart

This beautiful and elegant apple tart is made using five simple ingredients. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is.

If you want, substitute the apples for fruit that is in season, such as pears, plums, peaches or nectarines. It’s an absolute crowd-pleasing dessert, for day or night!

I recommend serving with some French vanilla ice cream or vanilla custard.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 375g puff pastry
• 3 apples (I used Fuji, but you want an apple that is sweet and firm-fleshed)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 40g unsalted butter, softened
• 90g caster sugar
• plain flour for rolling

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220C.
2. Cut pastry into a 25cm square and place on a baking paper-lined oven tray. Cut a border 10mm from the edges and 1mm deep into the pastry. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3. Peel apples, cut in half and core. Toss in lemon juice to stop them from discolouring. Place an apple-half on the bench and cut the ends off so they are flat. Cut into 2mm-thick slices. Repeat with other apple halves.
4. Take pastry out of fridge and carefully overlap the apple slices along the top of the pastry. Do the next row, overlapping the top row slightly as well. Continue until the apples are all used up to create a single layer of well-overlapped apples.
5. Dot 20g of softened butter over the apples and sprinkle on 50g sugar. Place in preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes. Add remaining butter and sugar and cook for another 20 minutes. The pastry should be crisp and cooked, the apples caramelised.
6. Remove the tart from the oven and place on a cake rack to allow the air to circulate and to stop the pastry from sweating.