Ingredients

Step by step

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6.
2. Quarter the apples and remove the core, then cut into the thinnest slices possible by hand. Put 200ml water in a lidded frying pan with the pink colouring. Stir well then add the apples. Mix gently to coat, cover with a lid and cook for 5-7 minutes until the apples are transparent and blushed pink, then drain through a sieve and spread out on a large plate or tray lined with kitchen paper and leave to cool. Remove the pastry from the fridge 10 minutes before using.
3. Unroll the pastry onto a lightly floured work surface so that it lies as a horizontal rectangle. Roll it out thinner (just rolling directly away from you with the rolling pin), until the pastry measures about 30cm deep. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together then sprinkle evenly over the pastry. Cut 12 vertical strips of pastry, each about 2cm wide (you don’t need all the pastry). (See Kitchen Secret for what to do with the rest of the pastry.)
   Tip

   Make mini pastries with the leftover cinnamon-sugared pastry – drizzle it with melted butter and scatter with currants. Roll up like a Swiss roll, cut into 1cm slices and put on a lined tray. Press down slightly, then bake for 12-15 minutes at the same temperature until crisp.
4. Brush a 12-hole cupcake or muffin tray with melted butter. Taking one strip of pastry at a time, stretch it out until it is about 38-40cm long. Arrange 10-15 apple slices, slightly overlapping, along the length of the pastry. The apple slices should be placed half-sitting on the pastry, with the curved peel edge sticking out onto the worktop, to form the petals. Roll up the pastry into a loose coil. Place in one hole of the prepared tray. Repeat with the remaining pastry strips and apples to make more tarts.
5. Cover loosely with foil – this is important, or the apples will burn. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the pastry is crisp. Gently lift the tarts out of the tins to a wire rack.
6. While still warm, gently ease out the apple petals to make them look prettier, if you wish. Leave to cool, and dust with icing sugar just before serving.