These Apple tarts look beautiful, but are surprisingly easy to make. They make a great dessert with a scoop of mascarpone or ice cream, or as a afternoon tea treat. All you need is:

• Apples
• Sheet of pre-rolled puff pastry
• Butter
• Brown sugar
• Ground cinammon

I use 3 large apples for 1 sheet of Pastry to create 6 tarts. I used Fuji apples as they have a nice pink skin. Core your apple and then slice it into thin half moon slices.

Put them in a bowl and cover with boiling water and a splash of lemon juice and leave for 5 minutes until the water is cool enough to handle. The lemon juice will stop them from browning and the hot water softens the apple. The slices need to flexible in order to be able to bend them for the rose shape.

Lay out a pre-rolled puff pastry sheet and slice into long strips a couple of inches wide. I usually get 5-6 strips out of one sheet depending on what brand I buy. Spread butter down the centre of the strips and sprinkle with brown sugar and ground cinnamon.

Lay out a line of apple slices along the pastry, so the flat part of the apple slice lines up the with centre of the strip. Layer the apple slices so that there is a a slight overlap between slices. I usually do two layers of apple within the strip. Do this along the entire length of the pastry strip and then fold over the other half of the pastry, so that the pastry surround the bottom half of the apple layer.

Take your strip and start to roll inward starting from the end closest to you. The apple should be flexible enough that you can create a fairly tight roll. Put each roll into a buttered cupcake tin. I sometimes need to squish the pastry a bit, or adjust the position of some of the apple slices, but generally it creates a really effective rose shape. Sprinkle a touch more of brown sugar over the top.

Put in the oven at 180 degrees celcius for 8-10 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked. They don’t come out quite as beautiful, but still very effective and a great simple, light dessert.