Ingredients

• 7 apples (for a 10 inch pan)

• For the sweet paste

• 250g - 1 ½ cups plain sieved flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 150g - 5oz soft butter
• 1 whole egg
• 60g - ½ cup sugar

• For the caramel

• 60g - ½ cup sugar
• 60g - 2 oz butter
• 2 tbs water

Steps

• Step 1

  Remove butter from fridge and bring to room temperature

• Step 2

  In a mixing bowl, add the flour.

• Step 3

  Add the butter and combine ingredients using clean hands until you reach a sandy texture.

• Step 4

  Add the sugar.

• Step 5

  Add the egg.

• Step 6

  Add the salt.

• Step 7

  Mix ingredients with a spatula, once dry finish with your hands. Once there’s nothing left on the side of the bowl, knead and fold the dough no more than 30 seconds.

• Step 8

  Stretch out some cling film on your bench

• Step 9

  .
  Shape the dough into a flat brick, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for two hours or more.

• Step 10

  After two hours, remove from fridge and let sit approx. 10 minutes.

• Step 11

  Peel and core the apples then cut into quarters.

• Step 12

  In a hot clean frying pan (not greasy at all) or an oven proof deep cake dish, add the caramel sugar with a little water.

• Step 13

  Add butter to caramel and stir until melted and combined.

• Step 14

  Arrange your apple quarters in a circle, vertically enough to cover the whole pan from the outside in.

• Step 15

  Place frying pan back on low heat and cook apples for 20 to 25 minutes.

• Step 16

  Flour your bench and roll out your sweet paste approx 1/4 of an inch.

• Step 17

  Place a circular bowl slightly larger than your pan and cut pastry with a knife to end up with a perfect circle. Remove the trimmings, freeze and use again for something else.

• Step 18

  Using your rolling pin, roll your pastry around the pin to make it easier to unroll.

• Step 19

  Unroll your pastry over the pan and push in the edges a little.

• Step 20

  Bake in oven at 160ºC – 425ºF for 30 minutes (or until pastry is nicely cooked).

• Step 21

  Once cooked, place a board or a plate on top of your pan, and using both hands, flip over so the tart is upside down.

• Step 22

  Let cool before serving or refrigerate. Remember to always serve warm.

Little Tips

You can add additional sugar sprinkle on top of the apples before adding the pastry.
Place your peeled apples in water with a little lemon juice to avoid them going brown to give you more time in preparing.
If you use a deeper pan, you can add another layer of apples, keep the first layer vertical.
If your pastry is too crumbly, add a teaspoon of water, however this is suppose to be a crumbly buttery paste that melts in your mouth.