Favourite tarte tatin

Method
Prep:1hr20min  ›  Cook:30min  ›  Ready in:1hr50min 

1. Rub the butter into the flour in a large mixing bowl with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, then make a well in the centre and stir in the egg yolk and 1–2 tbsp cold water, using a round-bladed knife to bind the mixture together. (This can be done in a food processor.) Lightly knead to form a firm dough, then wrap the pastry in greaseproof paper or cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C (gas 6). Peel the apples and cut into quarters. Remove the core and pips, cut in half again, then toss well in the lemon juice.
3. Melt the butter for the topping in a large frying pan, sprinkle over the sugar, then add the apples. Cook over a medium heat for 10–15 minutes, shaking the pan regularly, until the apples are just tender and the buttery syrup has caramelised.
4. Tip the apples into a 22cm shallow cake or flan tin, pressing them well down to fill the tin and with the rounded sides upper-most. (If your tin is loose-based, line it first with foil.) Leave to cool.
5. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a circle, 25cm in diameter. Lay the pastry over the top of the apples, tucking the surplus pastry down the sides of the tin. Make three to four nicks in the pastry with a knife, to allow the steam to escape. Bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes until golden.
6. Let the tart rest for 15 minutes before turning out, upside down onto a serving dish, so that the apples are on the top. Serve warm.

COOK SMART

*This upside-down tart can also be made with dessert pears. *Make in a cast-iron or ovenproof frying pan, if you have one, using it to first cook the apples in step 3. *To make individual tarts, divide the apples among six 12cm tins. Cut out six pastry circles, each 14cm in diameter, to cover over the tops. Bake for 15–20 minutes.