SEASONAL BRITISH APPLE TARTE TATIN WITH JAMES FOX

The aim of the campaign is twofold. Firstly, we’re supporting John, who farms our Seasonal British Apples in East Sussex. John is a passionate champion of diversity, and grows over 40 varieties of apple – far beyond the five or six that we’re used to seeing in most stores.

And secondly, along with Chefs in Schools, who aim to improve food education and meal quality in schools across London, we want to offer children as much access to fresh, nutritious fruit and vegetables as possible, particularly when that means introducing them to new foods and varieties.

To celebrate Apples for Apples’ ongoing success – and to propose a suggestion for how you might use a kilogram of Seasonal British Apples, we have teamed up with Chef James Fox of Chefs In Schools, for a special edition of #OFFTHEPASS, wherein he made for us a classic Tarte Tatin.

SEASONAL BRITISH APPLE TARTE TATIN

INGREDIENTS

1kg (around 8) Seasonal British Apples, peeled, cored and cut into quarters, placed in lemon water to prevent discolouring

100g caster sugar

60g unsalted butter, diced

300g all-butter puff pastry, rolled into a 24cm round (3mm thick), lightly pricked with a fork

METHOD

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180°C/160°C/Gas 6

2. Put the Tarte Tatin dish (20cm round) on the hob, and over a medium heat cook the sugar slowly until brown and smoking, then take off the heat and whisk in diced butter. At this point you can add picked thyme to the caramel to infuse if you wish

3. Arrange the apple quarters very tightly, around the edges first, with the core facing up and towards the centre, then fill in the middle part of the mould the same way. Press with your hands gently to ensure there are no gaps

4. Place the disc of puff pastry on top, tucking in the edges and, with a knife, prick a few holes in the top to allow some of the steam to escape during cooking

5. Cook in the oven for 40-45 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden brown and crisp

6. Allow to cool at room temperature for about 1 hour before de-moulding, apple-side up, on to the serving platter