Tarte Tatin: baked apple with caramel

The Tatin sisters in Sologne invented this dish in the 19th Century. In a moment of distraction, Stephanie Tatin forgot to place the pastry in the pan first. Realising her mistake, she decided to cover the apples with the pastry and bake the pie, leading to this creation - which came to be called ‘Tarte Tatin’.

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 5 apples (peeled and halved, just before using)

• 100g butter

• 200g sugar

• 1 star anise

• ½ vanilla pod (halved lengthways)

• 6 cardamom pods

• 1 large pack ready-made puff pastry

  
  

method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (fan), 200ºC (non-fan), or gas mark 6.

2. Using a large ovenproof frying pan (approx 28cm), gently melt the butter on a medium heat with the star anise, vanilla pod and cardamom pods.

3. Add the sugar and gently colour everything until pale yellow in colour.

4. Peel and slice the apples in half and pat dry with kitchen paper. Place neatly, face down, into the pan and set aside.

5. Roll out the ready-made puff pastry into a circle, approx. 28cm in diameter and ½cm thick.

6. Carefully place the pastry over the entire pan, pressing the pastry all around the apples to form a tight seal. The apples at the edge of the pan can be lifted slightly and the pastry tucked underneath. This will avoid steaming the pastry as opposed to baking.

7. Put the pan on a low heat. After a couple of minutes, lift the pan, place your hand over the pastry and, holding it tight, pour off the excess liquid - this is saturated fat that has formed and isn’t required.

8. Repeat this process twice before placing the pan into the oven for approx. 25-30 minutes.

9. After this time, remove from the oven and leave to rest for about 5 minutes, which will allow the caramel to settle and become firm.

To Serve

Take a lightly oiled plate, which is larger than the pan, and place it over the pan and turn out the Tarte Tatin - being careful not to spill the caramel that may still be hot!

Serve with good quality, real vanilla ice cream.

Chef's Tip

Once the apples are covered and sealed with the pastry, and the pastry begins to shift in

the pan, it's ready to be placed in the oven.

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This is one of our favourite and most popular dishes at the Academy. We would love to hear if you have seen it being made or have had a try yourself? If so, please leave a comment below to share your story. Also, don't forget to follow us on social media for more delicious recipes for you to try in the future or share with friends.