Seasonal weekend treat

Donna Hay’s Apple Tarte Tatin

As always, Australian food writer Donna Hay wows us with her simply beautiful recipes. In her new book, Basics To Brilliance, she focuses on key foundation recipes that can easily be adapted into smart and impressive variations. You’re guaranteed to salivate over every page! This is a perfect dessert recipe for using up in-season home-grown apples. The caramel recipe makes more than you need, but you can store it in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To make salted caramel, simply stir in 1tsp sea salt flakes at step 4.

Hands-on time 20min. Cooking time about 35min. Serves 4-6

for the creamy caramel (makes about 800g/1lb 12oz, but only 160g/5½oz is needed for tart) 375ml (13fl oz) single cream 175g (6oz) unsalted butter 650g (1lb 7oz) caster sugar for the tarte tatin 375g block all-butter puff pastry 160g (5½oz) creamy caramel, plus extra to serve 3 Granny Smith apples (540-550g/1¼lb), peeled, cored, quartered and cut into 1cm (½in) wedges Vanilla ice cream, to serve 1 Place the cream and butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and set aside. 2 Place the sugar and 250ml (9fl oz) water in a medium pan over a high heat and cook, stirring with a metal spoon, until combined. Bring to the boil and cook, without stirring, until the temperature reaches 180°C on a sugar thermometer and the mixture is golden in colour (for a darker caramel, see GH TIP). 3 Remove from the heat and, working quickly, add the butter mixture in a thin, steady stream, stirring to combine. 4 Return the pan to a low heat; cook, stirring, for 5min or until caramel has thickened slightly. 5 Pour into a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. 6 Preheat oven to 240°C (220°C fan) mark 9. Using a small sharp knife, trim pastry into a 30cm (11½in) round and make a small cross incision in the centre. Refrigerate until ready to use. 7 Place the caramel in a 26cm (10¼in) round ovenproof non-stick frying pan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Add the apples and cook for 5–6min, or until just softened. Remove from the heat and top with the pastry round. Place the pan on an oven tray. Bake for 15min or until the pastry is golden and puffed. Allow to cool slightly. 8 Invert on to a lightly greased baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for a further 5min or until apples are golden and caramelised. Serve warm with ice cream and extra caramel. GH TIP For a richer caramel with a subtle burnt flavour, let the sugar and water cook until the mixture is a little deeper in colour, or the thermometer reaches 185°C. PER SERVING (for 6) 405cals, 4g protein, 20g fat (13g saturates), 51g carbs (28g total sugars), 2g fibre