French apple tart (Tarte aux pommes)

1. Make a shortcrust from the flour, cold butter, a little sugar and one egg, and chill it for half an hour.

2. Roll the dough into a tart tin and prick the base.

3. Peel a few apples, cut them into small cubes, and stew them with a little sugar into a purée – this will be the lower apple layer.

4. Slice the remaining apples into thin wedges.

5. Smooth the apple purée onto the pastry, then arrange the thin apple wedges over it in overlapping, rose-like circles.

6. Sprinkle with a little sugar and bake at 190 °C for about 35-40 minutes until golden with caramelising edges.

Tip: The classic tarte aux pommes gives a double pleasure: soft apple purée below, baked apple wedges above. Slice the wedges thin and arrange them tightly so they curl in nicely and caramelise during baking.