Tarte Tatin
Apple halves cooked down in butter caramel in the pan, covered with puff pastry, baked, and turned out upside down. Deep amber, barely sweet, and best served warm the day it is made.
- 1
Heat the oven to 375°F. Toss the peeled, halved apples with the lemon juice. Use a firm variety that holds its shape; soft apples turn to sauce.
- 2
Roll the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to an 11-inch round, prick it all over with a fork, and chill it flat on a sheet pan until needed.
- 3
Scatter the sugar evenly across a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, dot with the butter, and sprinkle with the salt. Set over medium heat and cook 6 to 8 minutes until it melts and turns light amber, swirling the pan rather than stirring.
- 4
Take the pan off the heat. The caramel is above 300°F and will cause serious burns, so work with a spoon, not your hands. Pack the apple halves in cut side up, standing them tightly in concentric circles; they shrink a great deal.
- 5
Return to medium heat and cook 20 to 25 minutes, spooning caramel over the apples every few minutes, until they are tender at the edges and the syrup is deep amber and thick.
- 6
Off the heat, lay the chilled pastry over the apples and tuck the overhang down inside the pan with the back of a knife. Cut three steam vents in the top.
- 7
Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the pastry is well puffed, deep golden, and crisp underneath as well as on top.
- 8
Let it rest 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge, set a rimmed serving plate over the pan, and invert in one confident motion. Put back any apples that stick, and serve warm.
Ingredients
- 6 firm apples (about 3 pounds), peeled, halved, and cored
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 sheet (about 8 ounces) all-butter puff pastry, thawed
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 375°F. Toss the peeled, halved apples with the lemon juice. Use a firm variety that holds its shape; soft apples turn to sauce.
- 2
Roll the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to an 11-inch round, prick it all over with a fork, and chill it flat on a sheet pan until needed.
- 3
Scatter the sugar evenly across a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, dot with the butter, and sprinkle with the salt. Set over medium heat and cook 6 to 8 minutes until it melts and turns light amber, swirling the pan rather than stirring.
- 4
Take the pan off the heat. The caramel is above 300°F and will cause serious burns, so work with a spoon, not your hands. Pack the apple halves in cut side up, standing them tightly in concentric circles; they shrink a great deal.
- 5
Return to medium heat and cook 20 to 25 minutes, spooning caramel over the apples every few minutes, until they are tender at the edges and the syrup is deep amber and thick.
- 6
Off the heat, lay the chilled pastry over the apples and tuck the overhang down inside the pan with the back of a knife. Cut three steam vents in the top.
- 7
Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the pastry is well puffed, deep golden, and crisp underneath as well as on top.
- 8
Let it rest 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge, set a rimmed serving plate over the pan, and invert in one confident motion. Put back any apples that stick, and serve warm.