Jamie Oliver's toffee apple tart

I went to a picnic in Hyde Park on Bank Holiday Monday, and tried out a couple of recipes, including Jamie Oliver's Toffee Apple Tart, which is from his Jamie's Dinners book.  You can check it out online here: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/toffee-apple-tart

The toffee apple tart is simple to make, but if you can't find dulce de leche in your local supermarket, you are going to be spending a LONG TIME making your toffee on the hob.  It is worth it, though.  It also takes a bit of time to get the pastry done, and using ready-roll pastry is always a possibility.  That said, JO's version with its lemon is worth trying.  It's light and flaky, and the lemon really adds a subtle tang.  I cooled it and took it to the picnic, but I think it would also be delicious as a warm dessert, with creme fraiche or whipped cream to go with it.   It's good as a summer dessert but it would also work nicely as an autumnal one.  


Things to watch - I made this a second time for my flatmates, to use up my dulce de leche and the far too many apples I had bought for the first effort.  This I tried with ready roll pastry, which is an acceptable substitute if you want to do this in a hurry, and used granulated sugar rather than icing for the apples. Version two was equally as tasty, but the toffee decided it wanted to make a break for freedom halfway through baking, which made it look like something out of Alien until I popped it.  JO's version will give you baked apples with a glaze on them, but if you want to have an earthier twist on your pommes, use the granulated sugar.


Here's a pic of the finished version, and the kind of sky you should enjoy the tart under...