Tarte Tatin

Tags: #French #pastry #dessert #apple #caramel #classic Serving: 8 pieces Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes

An upside-down caramelized apple tart with crisp all-butter puff pastry and deeply glazed fruit.

Ingredients

• 300 g all-butter puff pastry, chilled
• 1,100 g firm apple halves, peeled and cored (e.g., Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady)
• 200 g granulated sugar
• 150 g unsalted butter
• 1 g fine sea salt

Steps

1. Set an oven rack in the middle position.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
3. Peel the apples.
4. Core the apples.
5. Halve the apples through the stem.
6. Pat the apple halves dry with paper towels.
7. Cut two apple halves into quarters to create small filler pieces.
8. Cut the butter into 2 cm cubes.
9. Scatter the butter cubes in an even layer in a heavy 24 cm ovenproof skillet.
10. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the butter.
11. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the sugar.
12. Arrange the apple halves tightly in the skillet with cut sides facing up.
13. Tuck the apple quarters into any gaps to pack the pan tightly.
14. Set the skillet over medium heat.
15. Cook until the sugar and butter melt and begin to bubble, about 5 minutes.
16. Swirl the skillet gently to distribute the caramel.
17. Spoon the bubbling syrup over the apples.
18. Press the apples gently with a spatula to compact them.
19. Continue cooking until the caramel is a deep amber and the apples are three-quarters tender, 20 to 25 minutes total.
20. Remove the skillet from the heat.
21. Dust the work surface lightly with flour.
22. Roll the puff pastry to a 3 mm thickness.
23. Cut a 26 cm circle from the pastry.
24. Prick the pastry circle all over with a fork.
25. Lay the pastry over the apples.
26. Tuck the pastry edges down around the apples inside the skillet.
27. Cut a 1 cm steam vent in the center of the pastry.
28. Bake until the pastry is deeply golden and the caramel bubbles thickly at the edges, 30 to 35 minutes.
29. Transfer the skillet to a wire rack.
30. Rest the tart for 10 minutes.
31. Loosen the pastry edge from the skillet with a thin knife.
32. Place a large serving plate over the skillet.