Here’s a classic recipe for Tarte Tatin, a delicious upside-down caramelized apple tart that is a staple of French cuisine.
Tarte Tatin Recipe
Ingredients
- 300g all-butter puff pastry
- 6 dessert apples (about 900g/2lb), such as Braeburn, Cox’s Orange Pippin, or Adam’s Pearmain
- 100g golden caster sugar
- 85g unsalted butter (60g chilled and diced, 25g melted)
- Crème fraîche or high-quality vanilla ice cream, to serve
- Plain flour, for dusting
Instructions
- Prepare the Pastry:
- Roll the puff pastry to a thickness of about 3mm on a lightly floured surface. Use a plate to cut a 24cm circle. Lightly prick the pastry all over with a fork, place it on a baking sheet, cover, and freeze while you prepare the apples.
- Cook the Apples:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan) or gas mark 4.
- Peel, quarter, and core the apples.
- In a flameproof 20cm ceramic Tatin dish or an ovenproof heavy-based frying pan, add the sugar over medium-high heat. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until it turns into a dark amber caramel syrup that starts to smoke. Turn off the heat and stir in the 60g diced chilled butter.
- Arrange the Apples:
- Carefully arrange the apple quarters tightly in a circle around the edge of the dish first, rounded-side down, then fill in the middle similarly. Gently press them down to eliminate gaps and brush them with melted butter.
- Bake:
- Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Then remove it from the oven and place the disc of frozen puff pastry on top. Tuck the edges down inside the dish and prick a few holes in the pastry to allow steam to escape.
- Return to the oven and bake for an additional 40-45 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and crisp.
- Cool and Serve:
- Allow to cool to room temperature for about 1 hour before running a knife around the edge of the dish and inverting it onto a large serving plate deep enough to contain any juices.
- Serve warm with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.
Tips
- For best results, prepare this dish a day ahead and store it in its pan in the fridge. Reheat it in the oven before serving.
- You can experiment with other fruits like pears or peaches for different variations of Tarte Tatin.
Enjoy your delicious homemade Tarte Tatin! This dessert is perfect for impressing guests or enjoying as a sweet treat at home.