Plum tart tatin

This is such a beautiful thing, showing off the concentric rings of colour as they change from plum skin through plum flesh. Serve it just warm with a jug of cold cream on a hot day.

Serves 6 250g caster sugar 6 tbsp water 10 plums, halved and stoned 1 x 320g puff pastry sheet

you will need A 20cm cake tin

1 Preheat oven to 220C/Fan 200C/ Gas 7. Start by making the caramel. Put 175g of the sugar and the water into a saucepan and heat gently, stirring as you do, until all of the sugar granules have dissolved.

2 Stop stirring and bring it to the boil for a few mins, until it turns golden in colour. Remove from the heat immediately and pour it into the cake tin, then leave to cool for a couple of mins. Place the plum halves face down onto the caramel, fitting them as closely as you can.

3 Roll out the sheet of puff pastry until it is the thickness of a £1 coin, then cut a circle 5cm wider than your cake tin. Fit it snugly over the plums, tucking in around the sides as you go.

4 Make a small cross in the top of the pastry to release some of the steam that will arise as it cooks, then bake for about 40 mins, or until the pastry has risen up and turned golden brown.

5 Remove from oven, then carefully tip all of the juices from the tart tin into a saucepan with the rest of the sugar. Heat gently, stirring, until the sugar granules have dissolved, then boil until syrupy. Tip the tart onto a plate, pour over the syrup, and serve.