Method

Make the pastry and leave to chill or defrost is using ready made pastry.

Fill a large bowl with water and the juice from the lemon.

Peel, slice off the base, halve and core the apples, keeping in the acidulated water to keep from turning brown.

Melt the butter in a large 26 - 28 cm diameter deep sided frying pan non-stick that will go into the oven.

Once the butter is melted add the sugar and mix well with the butter.

Place the apple halves in the pan, upright, on their ends around the edge of the pan, creating a circle of apples all facing the same way. The first few will need to be held up but eventually will hold themselves upright. Fill the centre in the same way. There will be 3 or 4 halves left. Keep these to one side.

Keep a moderate heat under the pan and let the apples cook in the butter and sugar mix. Check after 15 mins if gaps have appeared where the apples have shrunk slightly, add the remaining apple pieces to keep the pan full.

Cook the apples for 45 mins to 1 hr.

Meanwhile roll out the pastry to a circle wide enough to cover the surface of the frying pan with about 5cm extra all round. Place in the fridge on a tray covered with a piece of silicone paper until required.

Preheat oven. When ready the sugar and butter will have cooked to a toffee colour and consistency. The apples will be partly cooked. They will finish in the oven.

Take the pan from the heat. Slide the pastry on top of the pan, covering the apples. Fold the extra over inside the pan to reinforce the edges.

Place in the oven for 20 mins.

Place a tray underneath in case of boil out.

Once the pastry is golden brown, remove from the oven and turn out immediately onto a large flat plate.

Make sure the apples turn out and watch out for the sauce.