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Caramelised Apple Tart

The secret of this tart is to give the apples time to caramelise before baking.

Vegetarian

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes, plus 5 minutes finishing time
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients

½ pack Cypressa Fresh Filo Pastry (8 sheets)
125g unsalted butter
175g caster sugar
7 or 8 large Cox's apples, peeled, cored and quartered

Method

Remove the filo pastry from the fridge about 2 hours before you intend to use it - leave it unopened and allow it to come to room temperature. Take a heavy-based, 25cm round, flameproof pan about 5cm deep (a cast-iron frying pan with an ovenproof handle is ideal). Melt two-thirds of the butter over a moderate heat. Add about two-thirds of the sugar and carefully tilt the pan over the heat until the sugar melts and is well mixed with the butter. The mixture should coat the pan and cover the entire base. Remove from the heat.
Arrange the apple quarters over the butter mixture - start from the outside and make tight circles into the centre. Sprinkle the apple with the remaining sugar and dot with half the remaining butter.
Cook over a medium heat for 20 minutes, until the butter mixture bubbles up between the apples - gently shake the pan from time to time. You may need to reduce the heat after a while to make sure the caramelised butter does not burn. Remove from the heat and leave until it is just cool enough to handle.
Preheat the oven to 220°C, gas mark 7. In a separate pan, melt the remaining butter. Take 2 sheets of filo, covering the rest with clingfilm. Place the filo over half the apples and, using your fingers, tuck the edge in between the apples and the side of the pan. Repeat with another 2 sheets to cover the other half. Brush with half the melted butter, then give the pan a quarter turn and repeat with the remaining sheets, brushing with the remaining butter.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
To serve, cover the pan with a slightly larger serving dish. Holding both pan and dish (using oven gloves if necessary), quickly turn the pan over onto the dish. Tap the base of the pan a few times, then carefully lift it up so that the caramelised apples end up on top of the pastry. Tidy up the apples if necessary and serve immediately.