Bolton Bake Off star Mak's perfect sweet treat for this time of year

That time of year again when the landscape is filled with the colours of autumn.

With it comes the inevitable shedding of leaves as nature goes into slumber. Streets are filled with leaves.

The clocks go back and daylight becomes a premium.

It is also a time I look forward to in my garden for my apple tree gives up its delicious fruit, the Cox’s Orange Pippin.

Mak's apple tree

It is not as abundant as I had hoped this year, possibly due to the fact that I moved the tree from one end of the garden to the other to make way for a pergola.

The Cox’s Orange Pippin is the most delicious apple I have tasted. A blush russet fruit, dense, aromatic, rose flavoured with a refreshing tangy sweetness.

I am getting carried away! A fellow allotment holder advised me, when growing anything try and grow the most expensive and delicious variety. Why waste effort on mediocre crop?

What better way to celebrate the famous British apple than to make a gorgeous sliced-apple tart.

I’ve been making this tart since I were a wee lad.

The recipe calls for dessert apples as the natural sweetness is just right. British apples and autumn, makes your heart sing.

Bolton Market, as always, will have the best varieties.

Ready made all butter puff pastry will be far easier than making it yourself.

Mak during one of his cooking classes

Sliced Apple Tart

Ingredients

Prep time, 20 minutes. Cooking time 20 minutes. Serves 6.

375g pack of puff pastry (ready rolled if you can get it)

5 medium sized dessert apples

Juice of 1 lemon

25g butter

3 teaspoons brown sugar (or caster sugar)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon

1 Tablespoon caster sugar

3 tablespoons of apricot jam

Mak preparing ingredients for the apple tart

Method

1. Roll out the puff pastry so you can cut a circle approx. 35cm in diameter. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper.

2. Peel, core and slice the apples thinly. Place in a bowl and coat them with the lemon juice. Spread the apples on the rolled puff pastry, about 2cm from the edges. You will get about three layers. Turn up the edges of the puff pastry so it retains all the juices.

3. Turn the oven onto 200°C fan or gas mark 7.

4. Melt the butter in a microwave oven. Mix in the brown sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon powder. Pour this over the apples followed by the tablespoon of caster sugar. Bake in oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges of the puff pastry have risen and turned a golden brown.

5. Heat the apricot jam in the microwave, for about 40 seconds. Gently Brush over the apples and the edges of the tart.

Mak's apple tarts

Serve the tart warm with crème Chantilly (basically soft whipped cream with icing sugar), crème fraiche or vanilla ice cream.