Caramelised Apple Tarts
Description
This is a simplified version of Tarte Tatin - a caramelised upside-down apple tart made famous by the Tatin sisters from south of the Loire. You can prepare most of this version beforehand, which makes for easy entertaining.
Method
Preheat oven to 180C. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
Cut four 10cm pastry squares and place them on prepared oven tray. Run a knife about 1cm in from the edge around the border of each square to form a rim - do not cut all the way through. Bake until golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Store in an airtight container until required.
Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved completely, then bring to the boil. From here on, try not to stir it. Instead, move the saucepan to get the contents swirling if you need to. Cook for 5-7 minutes until golden - you will need to watch it like a hawk as it tends to go from clear to brown to burnt very quickly!
Remove from the heat and add the cream - it may spit when the cream goes in - so be careful.
Return the saucepan to the heat and stir to get rid of any lumps. Add the butter and allow it to melt. Stir to combine. Add the chopped apples and cook gently until they soften slighty. Set aside until required.
To serve, place pastry squares on individual plates and top each with one-quarter of the warmed caramelised apples. Serve with vanilla ice-cream.