After watching last weeks Great British Bake Off I was inspired to make my own puff pastry. I decided to use it to make these delicious apple tarts (recipe courtesy of Ella’s Kitchen The Cook Book – The Red One, out now, £14.99 hamyln. Visit www.ellaskitchen.co.uk for more information.)

Smiley Spiral Apple Tarts:

Ingredients:

• 320g/11 1/4 oz puff pastry (buy ready made or make your own using the recipe I used here)
• 2 eating apples
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 50g/1 3/4 oz unsalted butter cut into 6 cubes
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 25g/1 oz soft light brown sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees c/ 400 degrees f/ gas mark 6.

2.Roll out the puff pastry until it’s 0.5 cm thick. Using a 10cm pastry cutter, cut out six circles from the pastry and place them spaced well apart on a baking sheet.

3.Core the apples. Cut them into very thin slices and toss them in the lemon juice. Make sure the slices are very thin or the juice will make your pastry soggy when cooking (learned through experience).

4. Arrange the apple slices on top of the dough circles in a ‘flower’ pattern. Place a cube of butter on each tart and sprinkle with a little cinnamon and the sugar.

5. Bake the tarts in the over for 15-20 minutes until golden brown, Serve warm or cold with vanilla ice-cream or creme fraiche.

6. Enjoy.