Apple Tarte Tatin

Recipe by Paul Phillips

Legend has it that this French classic was first invented by the Tatin sisters, who accidentally put an apple pie filling into a dish before adding the pastry. I would recommend serving with crème fraiche as it is already very sweet, and drying the apples in the fridge so that they are less juicy. This reduces the likelihood of a “soggy bottom”...

Prep time: 20 mins, plus refrigeration

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 1 hour, plus refrigeration

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

FOR THE PIZZA DOUGH:
4 cox and 4 granny smiths apples, peeled, halved and cored
1 lemon, juice only
FOR THE PASTRY:
215G sheet rolled puff pastry, chilled
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
FOR THE CARAMEL:
125g golden caster sugar
50ml water
50g unsalted butter, cubed
pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp calvados
TO SERVE:
Crème Fraiche

Cooking Directions

Toss the apples and lemon juice in a large bowl, then arrange on a baking tray and leave uncovered in the fridge overnight. There will be some discolouration, but this will help to dry the apples.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. On a lightly floured surface roll out the puff pastry to about 4mm thick, sprinkle over the cinnamon, then cut out a 22cm circle (or 2 cm larger than the pan you will cook the tart in). Transfer the pastry circle to a plate and put in the freezer to cool.
For the caramel, put the water in the bottom of a 20cm oven proof frying pan and sprinkle over the sugar. Let it sit for two minutes to allow the sugar to dissolve.
Once dissolved, turn the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes until you have a light caramel. Take off the heat, then add the butter and salt. Stir.
Tightly arrange the apple slices in the pan, round sides down. Cut the remaining apple to fill the gaps. They will shrink during cooking so try and pack them in as tightly as possible. Splash over a little Calvados.
Cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool completely.
Top the apples with the pastry circle, tucking it in around the edges, and cut a 1-inch “X” in the centre. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and carefully invert onto a serving plate.
Cool slightly, cut into portions and serve with crème fraiche or vanilla ice cream.