Tarte Tatin
Apples cooked slowly in butter caramel under a lid of puff pastry, then turned out so the glossy fruit sits on top.
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 200°C.
- 2
Peel, quarter and core the apples.
- 3
Cut the pastry into a circle about 2 cm wider than the pan, prick it all over with a fork and keep it in the fridge.
- 4
Scatter the sugar evenly over the base of the pan and set it over medium heat.
- 5
Cook without stirring, swirling the pan gently now and then, until the sugar melts into a deep amber caramel.
- 6
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the butter until smooth. It will bubble up sharply.
- 7
Pack the apple quarters into the caramel on their sides in tight circles, filling every gap, since they shrink as they cook.
- 8
Return the pan to medium-low heat and cook until the apples begin to soften and the caramel thickens around them.
- 9
Lay the pastry over the apples and tuck the edge down inside the pan with a spoon.
- 10
Bake until the pastry is puffed and a rich golden brown.
- 11
Rest the tart in the pan so the bubbling caramel settles.
- 12
Run a knife around the edge, set a large plate over the pan and, wearing oven gloves, turn it over in one quick movement.
- 13
Lift off the pan, nudge any stray apple pieces back into place and serve warm.
Notes
- Choose apples that hold their shape when cooked, such as sharp green or crisp russet types. Soft apples collapse into purée.
- If a lot of juice collects while the apples cook on the hob, keep going until it has reduced to a thick caramel before adding the pastry.
- Serve with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.
Equipment
24 cm ovenproof frying pan or tatin tin, Rolling pin, Large serving plate, Oven gloves