Make the salted caramel sauce:

1. Whisk together the granulated sugar and the water in a small saucepan, and cook over medium-low heat until the sugar is just dissolved. Add the butter and bring to a slow boil. Continue cooking over medium heat until the mixture turns a deep golden brown, almost copper. Remove from the heat and immediately but slowly add the heavy cream – be careful, the mixture will bubble rapidly and steam. Whisk the final mixture together well and set aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the apple tart.

Make the tart dough:

1. Place flour and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly until mixture forms large crumbs.
2. In a small bowl, stir together salt and cold water.
3. Add the salt water mixture to the base of the food processor and continue pulsing until the dough has just formed but is not smooth. This step can also be done manually with a pastry cutter or two knives.
4. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and form into a disk about 1 inch thick. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

Make the salted caramel apple tart:

1. Cut 4-5 apples into large chunks. Heat apples, lemon juice, sugar and water in a medium saucepan on low heat, covered, for about 20-30 minutes. Break apart with a wooden spoon or potato masher leaving some chunks.
2. Mix salted caramel into mashed apples and set aside while you roll out your crust and slice your apples.
3. Slice remaining apples into thin circles to layer on top.
4. Roll out chilled tart dough on a floured surface and place in your tart pan. Fill the tart shell with mashed apples.
5. Layer the sliced apples on top, starting with the outside. I found that for the inside ring and center I needed to cut my circles in half to get them to fit. This may have been because I sliced them slightly too thick. Be sure to be generous with the apples as they will shrink a bit while baking and have the potential to expose the mashed apples underneath.
6. Brush the crust with heavy cream and the apples with melted butter.
7. Bake at 425F for 10 minutes, then without opening the oven, decrease temperature to 350F for 50-60 minutes more. Apples should be soft and slightly brown and the crust should be golden.
8. Drizzle with salted caramel sauce and sprinkle with sea salt to finish. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tips: I recommend doubling the salted caramel recipe so you can have more of this delicious nectar of the gods to eat on everything or just by the spoonful!