Ingredients:

  • 4 oz (8 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes
  • ¾ cup Granulated Sugar (Caster Sugar)
  • 2 Tbsp Water
  • 6 medium Firm Cooking Apples (approx. 900 g), peeled, cored, and quartered
  • 1 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
  • ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon (optional)
  • 1 sheet (10 oz) All-Butter Puff Pastry, chilled
  • ½ cup Crème Fraîche
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste or Extract
  • 1 Tbsp Icing Sugar (Confectioners' Sugar), optional

Instructions:

  1. Prep Apples: Peel, core, and cut the apples into quarters. Toss immediately with the lemon juice and cinnamon to prevent oxidation and add flavour. Set aside.
  2. Prep Pastry: Roll out the chilled puff pastry to a circle approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) larger than your frying pan diameter. Prick lightly with a fork. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill again.
  3. Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
  4. Dissolve Sugar: In the dry, heavy-bottomed frying pan (the one you will bake in), combine the granulated sugar and the water. Heat over medium-high heat without stirring until the sugar dissolves completely.
  5. Develop Caramel: Continue heating. Swirl the pan gently as the mixture begins to bubble and turn amber. Do not stir with a spoon—if necessary, brush down the sides with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystallisation.
  6. Add Butter: Once the caramel is a deep, rich amber colour (like old copper pennies), immediately remove the pan from the heat. Carefully whisk in the cold cubes of butter, one at a time, until the mixture is thick and smooth.
  7. Arrange Apples: Immediately and tightly pack the apple quarters into the caramel in a decorative, circular pattern. Ensure the curved side of the apple faces the bottom of the pan (this will be the top once flipped). Fill any gaps with smaller pieces.
  8. Cover with Pastry: Remove the pastry circle from the fridge. Drape it over the apples, tucking the edges down around the apples and into the sides of the pan. This creates a crust that holds the caramel in place.
  9. Bake: Place the frying pan in the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed, deeply golden brown, and cooked through.
  10. Rest (Crucial Step): Remove the Tarte Tatin from the oven. Let it cool in the pan for no more than 5–10 minutes. The caramel must be slightly warm and fluid but not boiling hot, otherwise the apples will tear during the flip.
  11. The Flip: Place your serving platter upside-down over the frying pan. Using oven mitts, firmly press the platter against the pan and, in one swift, confident motion, flip the pan over.
  12. Release: Wait 30 seconds for gravity to do its job. Lift the pan slowly. If any apples stick, gently rearrange them with a small spatula.
  13. Serve: Whisk the crème fraîche with vanilla paste and icing sugar (if using). Serve the Tarte Tatin warm, cut into wedges, alongside the vanilla crème fraîche.