To ensure a crisp, cooked pastry base, I use a tart ring placed directly on a hot pizza

baking stone.

Ingredients Required
For the shortcrust pastry
250g Plain flour, plus extra to dust
125g Unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature
A pinch of sea salt
1 Free-range medium egg
1 Free-range medium egg yolk
For the filling
3 Cox's or Braeburn apples
15g Unsalted butter, melted
65g Caster sugar
A squeeze Lemon juice
tbsp Calvados (optional)
Icing sugar, to dust
1 Free-range medium egg
100ml Whipping cream

Cooking Method
To make the pastry, put the flour, butter and salt into a large bowl and rub together delicately
using your fingertips until the mixture has a sandy texture.
Make a well in the centre and add the whole egg and extra yolk. With the tips of your fingers,
in little concentric circles, work the egg into the flour and butter mixture. Once the egg has
been incorporated, bring the dough together and press to form a ball. (Or you could make the
pastry in a food processor, using the pulse button to bring the dough together.)

Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and knead with the palms of your hands for 20
seconds, until you have
a homogeneous dough; do not overwork it, or the pastry will lose some of its flakiness and
will shrink back during cooking. Break off a small piece (2030g) of dough and wrap it in
cling film.

Flatten the rest of the dough into a disc, about 2cm thick; this will enable it to cool more
quickly and make it easier to roll out. Wrap the dough in cling film and rest in the fridge for
2030 minutes to minimise shrinkage during cooking. Stand an 18cm tart ring on a wooden
peel lined with greaseproof paper.

Place the rested dough on a sheet of cling film, about 40cm square, cover with another similar
sheet of cling film and roll out to a 23mm thickness. Remove the top layer of film. Lift the
dough by the lower sheet of cling film and invert it over the tart ring. Remove the cling film.
Lift the edges of the pastry and push the dough carefully into the ring. Use the
reservedwrapped dough ball to press the dough onto the base and sides of the ring, ensuring it
is neatly moulded into the shape of the ring. This will minimise shrinkage during cooking.

Trim the edge of the pastry by rolling a rolling pin over the top of the ring, from the centre
out to each side. Now raise the height of the dough 2mm above the tart ring, by using your
index finger and thumb to push the pastry gently up all around the edge, turning the tart ring
as you go. With a fork, prick the pastry base all over. Place the tart in the fridge for 20
minutes to relax the pastry.

Preheat the oven to 210C/Gas 6. Place a baking stone or heavy baking tray in the middle
of the oven to heat up.

Peel and core the apples, then cut each into 810 slices. Arrange the apple slices overlapping
in the tart case.
Mix together the melted butter, 15g of the sugar, the lemon juice and Calvados if using, and
brush over the apples. Dust liberally with icing sugar; it will melt then caramelise in the oven.

Using the wooden peel, slide the tart onto the preheated baking stone or tray in the oven and
bake for 20 minutes. Mix together the egg, remaining 50g sugar and the cream. Pour the
custard over the apples and cook for a further 10 minutes, until the apples are a lovely amber
colour, the custard is slightly puffed and the pastry is light golden.

Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 30 minutes before serving. Lightly dust with
icing sugar as you serve