Nigella Lawson’s Tarte Fine Aux Pommes

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Core 2 large Granny Smith apples, and cut them in half. Pour the juice of 1 lemon into a wide shallow dish and fill it with some cold water. Immerse the apple halves in the lemony water; this will stop them turning brown.

Lay one half (1 sheet) of a 17.2-oz package of all-butter storebought puff pastry (measuring 9 ½ x 9 ½ inches) onto a large baking sheet. Using either the back of a large knife or a steel ruler mark a ½-inch border all the way around the edge of the rectangle. You need to score the lines on the pastry rather than cutting all the way through it. This will allow a frame to rise above the apple filling.

Pat the apples dry and cut each half into quarters, then slice each quarter as thinly as you possibly can: Think segment wafers.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over the base. Working from the inside edge, place the apple slices closely overlapping within the border of the frame. Create neat lines of apple slices until the pastry is covered.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter with another tablespoon of sugar in a small pan, and let both bubble for a few minutes until a light caramel color appears. Dribble this syrup over the apples and put the tart in the oven.

Cook for 20 - 25 minutes, by which time a puff pastry border will have risen around the apples and the fruit will be soft and slightly colored. Cut into squares or slices and serve with crème fraiche if desired.

Serves 6-8 people.