Tarte Tatin

Name: Tarte Tatin
Yield: 4
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 3 Granny Smith apples; 75g salted butter; ⅔ cup castor sugar; 375g shortcrust pastry; Crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream, for serving

Tarte Tatin is one of those classics that I didn’t attempt for a long time for fear it would be too tricky. Turns out it’s super quick and easy, especially if you use a good ready-made shortcrust pastry like Carême. It’s named after the Tatin sisters, Caroline and Stéphanie, who served it at their Hôtel Tatin south of Paris in the late 1800s. Take care when arranging the apples in the hot caramel (sugar burns are especially nasty) and remember the handle of the frying pan will remain hot for some time after coming out of the oven (I drape a cloth over it as a reminder). It’s best served hot from the oven, but you can prepare the apples ahead of time and set aside, then just top with pastry and bake when ready to serve. I love tarte Tatin with a fortified wine such as St Leonards Vineyard Hip Sip Muscat, with its wild tattooed label.

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 Granny Smith apples
75g salted butter
⅔ cup castor sugar
445g sour cream shortcrust pastry
Crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream, for serving

Method

Preheat oven to 190°C.
Melt butter in an ovenproof frying pan.
Stir in sugar and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 12 minutes, until dark golden.
Meanwhile peel, core and halve the apples vertically, then cut into thick slices.
Remove pan from heat and carefully arrange the apple slices in a single layer as tightly as possible, using smaller pieces to fill any gaps.
Return to a medium heat and cook for 15 minutes.
Remove pan from heat.
Cut pastry into a disc a little wider than the pan and place on top of the apples, tucking the edges in around the side as best you can.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from oven and set aside for 10 minutes then invert onto a plate.
Serve warm with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.