Tarte Tatin

Ingredients

• •1.2 kg (about 7 medium) firm apples, such as Granny Smith or Braeburn, peeled, cored, and halved
• •150 g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
• •75 g (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• •1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• •1 sheet (about 230 g) all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen
• •1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1. 1Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F / Gas 6). Toss the apple halves with the lemon juice and set aside.
2. 2In a 24–26 cm (10-inch) oven-safe heavy skillet or dedicated tarte Tatin dish, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar in an even layer and cook, without stirring but swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture turns a deep amber caramel, about 8–10 minutes. Remove from the heat the moment it smells nutty and is the colour of dark honey — it will continue cooking from residual heat.
3. 3Immediately and carefully arrange the apple halves cut-side up, standing them on their edges tightly packed in concentric circles in the hot caramel. They will shrink, so pack them in firmly. Sprinkle with the salt.
4. 4Return the pan to medium heat and cook the apples in the caramel for 10–12 minutes, pressing them gently with a spatula, until the caramel is bubbling thickly around the fruit and the apples have softened slightly and begun to colour.
5. 5Roll the puff pastry into a circle about 2 cm (3/4 inch) larger than the diameter of your pan. Drape it over the apples and tuck the excess edges down snugly inside the rim of the pan, encasing the fruit. Prick the pastry a few times with a fork.
6. 6Bake in the preheated oven for 25–28 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden and puffed and the caramel is visibly bubbling at the edges.
7. 7Remove from the oven and leave to rest in the pan for exactly 5 minutes — no longer or the caramel will set and the tart will stick. Place a large, lipped serving plate firmly on top of the pan, then invert them together in one confident motion. Lift the pan away. If any apple pieces stick, simply reposition them. Serve warm.

💡 Use a pan with a pale interior (stainless steel or light-coloured enamelled cast iron) so you can accurately judge the caramel colour — dark non-stick pans make it easy to burn.

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