Tarte Tatin

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the shortcrust: put plain flour, caster sugar and fine salt in a large bowl. Rub the cold cubed unsalted butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Beat the egg with 40 ml cold water, add to the bowl and mix quickly until it just forms a dough — don’t overwork. Shape into a 2 cm-thick disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Meanwhile, prepare the apples: peel, core and halve the Bramley apples (quarter very large ones). Toss immediately with the lemon juice and ground cinnamon so they don’t discolour.

3. 3

   Preheat the oven to 190°C fan/210°C conventional. Make the caramel in a 20–23 cm heavy-based ovenproof frying pan: put 150 g caster sugar and 30 ml cold water in the pan and set over a medium heat on the hob. Let the sugar dissolve and bubble without stirring until it turns a deep amber — this takes about 8–12 minutes. When amber, remove from the heat and stir in 60 g unsalted butter and the vanilla extract until glossy.

4. 4

   Arrange the apple halves snugly, cut-side up, in concentric rings in the caramel. Pack them tightly — they will shrink as they cook. Return the pan to a medium heat and cook for 8–10 minutes so the apples soften and glaze in the caramel. If you have a little leftover butter from the packet, dot small knobs over the apples now.

5. 5

   Remove the pan from the hob and spoon any loose caramel over the apples. Allow to rest for 5 minutes so the caramel settles and is less likely to run when you add the pastry.

6. 6

   Flour a work surface lightly with plain flour. Roll the chilled pastry to about 3 mm thick and to a diameter 2–3 cm larger than the pan. Drape the pastry over the apples and tuck the edges down around the fruit inside the pan. Trim excess if necessary.

7. 7

   Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until the pastry is puffed and deep golden.

8. 8

   Remove the pan from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes so the caramel cools slightly. Place a large plate or baking tray over the pan, holding it close, then invert the pan and plate together so the tart drops out onto the plate. Lift the pan away carefully.

9. 9

   Serve the tarte tatin warm. It’s lovely on its own or with a spoonful of double cream or crème fraîche.

Tips

• Use a heavy-based ovenproof frying pan so the caramel cooks evenly and the pan transfers safely to the oven.
• If your pastry cracks when you drape it over the apples, patch with excess and press gently — small repairs vanish during baking.
• Make the pastry ahead and keep chilled; it will tolerate an extra 24 hours in the fridge wrapped tightly.
• Don’t rush the caramel colour: aim for deep amber not dark brown. If it smells burnt, start again — burnt caramel is bitter.
• To reheat leftovers, warm gently in a 160°C fan oven for 8–10 minutes to refresh the pastry and loosen the caramel.

Substitutions

• Bramley apples → Braeburn or Cox apples, 1 kg

  Stays close

• unsalted butter → use 185 g salted butter but omit the fine salt

  Noticeably different

• plain flour → 200 g plain flour + 50 g ground oats for a slightly nuttier shortcrust (works well but texture changes)

  Noticeably different

Nutrition

Per serving · estimated

595

Calories

6 g

Protein

84 g

Carbs

26 g

Fat

5 g

Fibre

42 g

Sugar

150 mg

Sodium

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