Tarte Tatin

I have tried many different recipes for this classic apple tart but finally perfected my own! I have tried puff pastry and home-made short crust pastry and I find that using the latter gives better body to the desert. I like puff pastry but find it just too delicate. I usually have short crust pastry in my freezer so the night before I am putting together a Tarte Tatin I pop it in the fridge and it’s ready to roll out the next day.

Aside from a mix of good quality baking apples (Granny Smith, Braeburn, Fuji, Golden Delicious and Pippin are all great options), I like flavorings such as Calvados (apple brandy) and the seeds and pods of vanilla beans. And I really prefer to use raw sugar instead of the white, granulated variety to make my caramel, and of course, good quality unsalted butter.

In a 10-12 inch cast-iron pan I make a light caramel with the calvados, sugar and vanilla pod and then add the apples and continue cooking until a nice, rich caramel develops. All that is left is to add knobs of butter and the pastry, gently tucking the edges around the edges and bake. Once the tarte is golden I allow it to rest for about 5 minutes and then ever so gently, invert it onto a decorative dish. Serve with good quality vanilla ice cream and/or freshly whipped cream. It doesn’t get any better than this!

My full recipe will be posted shortly.