Tarte Tatin

Preparation

Step 1: Preheat and prepare the apples

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).

Peel the apples, cut them in half, and remove the cores and seeds.

Sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning.

Set aside.

Step 2: Make the caramel

In an oven-safe pan (cast iron or stainless steel), melt the sugar dry over medium heat.

Do not touch the sugar with a spoon — simply tilt the pan to distribute the melting.

When the sugar turns amber (light caramel color), remove from heat.

Add the butter cut into pieces and stir off the heat with a wooden spatula — be careful of splatters.

Add the scraped vanilla seeds (or extract). Stir.

Step 3: Arrange the apples

Place the apple halves in the pan, rounded side down, packing them as tightly as possible.

Fill any gaps with extra apple wedges.

The caramel should rise up between the apples — if not, drizzle a little over the top.

Step 4: Cook the apples in caramel

Place the pan over medium heat and cook the apples for 10 to 15 minutes.

The caramel should reduce and penetrate the apples, which become translucent on the bottom.

Step 5: Add the pastry

Unroll the puff pastry.

Cut a circle slightly larger than the pan (about 2 cm / 1 in wider).

Lay the pastry over the apples, tucking the edges inside the pan all around.

Prick the pastry with a fork to allow steam to escape.

Step 6: Bake

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and puffed.

Step 7: Unmold and serve

Remove the tart from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes maximum — no longer.

Place a large serving plate over the pan and flip it over with a swift, confident motion.

Gently lift the pan: the apples should form a perfect caramelized dome.

Serve warm, with a quenelle of crème fraîche, whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.