From Clodagh's brand new cookbook: Clodagh at Home. Order your copy here!
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
165g (5¾oz) caster sugar
65g (2½oz) salted butter, chopped
5 Gala apples, peeled, cored and quartered
Plain flour, to dust
1 ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry sheet, chilled
Crème fraîche, to serve
METHOD
1. Place a 20cm (8-inch) cast-iron pan or ovenproof frying pan over a low heat. Add the caster sugar and 100ml (3½fl oz) of water and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Once dissolved, stop stirring and increase the heat to medium-high. Let the syrup bubble for 10–14 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally, until it turns a rich amber. Be patient: a pale caramel will give a flat, sweet
tart, whereas a deep golden-brown brings that proper, grown-up bittersweet flavour you want.
2. As soon as the caramel is a deep golden amber, take the pan off the heat and carefully whisk or stir in the chopped butter until smooth.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (400°F), Gas Mark 6.
4. Arrange the apple quarters in the hot caramel with the cut sides facing up, packing them in tightly and slightly overlapping so they completely cover the base; they will shrink a little as they cook, so it’s better to squeeze them in. Set the pan back over a low heat for 5–10 minutes so the apples start to soften in the caramel.
5. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry so it’s slightly larger than the pan, 23–26cm (9–10½ inches) in diameter. Cut out a neat circle. Lay the pastry over the apples, tucking the edges down around the inside of the pan so the fruit is snugly enclosed, like tucking in a blanket. Use a sharp knife to make 3 small slits in the centre to allow steam to escape.
6. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 35–45 minutes, until the pastry is puffed, crisp and deep golden. Remove from the oven and allow the tart to sit for 5–10 minutes to let the bubbling caramel settle.
7. To turn out, place a large heatproof serving plate over the pan, hold it firmly with oven gloves and carefully invert in one confident movement so the tart drops on to the plate. Lift off the pan: the apples should now be sitting proudly on top in their glossy caramel. Serve warm in generous slices with a cool dollop of crème fraîche.
