Tarte tatin

🥘 Ingredients

• dessert apples 6
• golden caster sugar 100 g
• unsalted butter 60 g
• unsalted butter 25 g
• all-butter puff pastry 300 g
• crème fraîche (full-fat)
• vanilla ice cream (optional)

1. 1

   Roll the pastry to a 3mm-thick round on a lightly floured surface and cut a 24cm circle, using a plate as a guide. Lightly prick all over with a fork , place on a baking sheet , then cover and freeze while preparing the apples.
2. 2

   Heat oven to 180ºC/160ºC fan/gas 4. Peel, quarter and core the dessert apples . Put the golden caster sugar in a flameproof 20cm ceramic tatin dish or a 20cm ovenproof heavy-based frying pan and place over a medium-high heat. Cook the sugar for 5 to 7 minutes to a dark amber caramel syrup that’s starting to smoke, then turn off the heat and stir in the 60g diced chilled unsalted butter .
3. 3

   To assemble the tarte tatin, arrange the apple quarters very tightly in a circle around the edge of the dish first, rounded-side down, then fill in the middle in a similar fashion. Gently press with your hands to ensure there are no gaps. Brush the fruit with the melted unsalted butter .
4. 4

   Bake in the oven for 20 minutes , then remove and place the disc of frozen all-butter puff pastry on top – it will quickly defrost. Tuck the edges down the inside of the dish and, with a knife , prick a few holes in the pastry to allow steam to escape.
5. 5

   Bake for a further 30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. Allow to cool to room temperature for 1 hour before running a knife around the edge of the dish and inverting it onto a large serving plate that is deep enough to contain the juices. Serve with crème fraîche (full-fat) / vanilla ice cream (optional) .