Ingredients

• 600g/1lb 5oz butternut squash
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• pinch sea salt
• 2 tbsp runny honey
• 40g/1½oz golden caster sugar
• 40g/1½oz salted butter
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• plain flour
• for dusting
• 250g/9oz ready-rolled puff pastry
• 200g/7oz fresh custard
• 1 lemon
• grated zest only

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
• Peel the squash and cut in half lengthways. Remove the seeds and cut the squash into 5mm/¼in slices. Toss the squash with the olive oil and arrange in a single layer on one or two baking trays. Season with a pinch of salt and roast for 15 minutes until golden-brown
• but still a little firm to the touch. Remove and set aside.
• Put the honey
• sugar and a tablespoon of cold water into a heavy-based 20cm/8in ovenproof frying pan and place over a medium heat. Cook gently
• stirring now and again
• until you have a golden caramel. Stir in the butter
• nutmeg and cinnamon
• then remove from the heat. (CAUTION: melted sugar gets very hot. Take care not to burn yourself.)
• Arrange the butternut squash slices in an overlapping fan pattern over the base of the pan: take great care as the caramel will be extremely hot. Cook for another 3–5 minutes until the syrup is deeply caramelised. Remove from the heat.
• On a worktop dusted with flour
• cut out a disc of puff pastry that is 2cm/¾in larger than the pan you are using. Position the pastry over the butternut squash and tuck the edges down around the side
• using the tip of a knife to ease it into place.
• Prick a few small holes in the pastry to allow steam to escape.
• Bake for 30–35 minutes
• or until the pastry is golden-brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 2 minutes
• but no longer
• otherwise the caramel will stick to the pan
• making it difficult to remove the tart. Place a large plate on top of the pan and
• in one swift movement
• invert the tarte tatin onto the plate
• taking care as the caramel will still be very hot.
• Mix together the custard and lemon zest and serve alongside the tarte tatin.