Apple Tarte Tatin is a classic French-style apple tart that requires only 4 main ingredients to make. It’s different to an American apple tart in many ways: It is baked upside down, the caramel is cooked separately and it is way easier to make than a traditional American apple tart.

There are 3 main components to this dish: The apples, caramel and puff pastry.

1. The apples: I used a total of 4 apples, cut into halves. Cutting the apples in halves gives a much rounder look to the apples when cooked but it made my tart quite thick, which i like. However, feel free to cut into thirds, quarters etc a different pattern and more thin tart.
2. Caramel: it’s a simple caramel with only sugar and butter. Cook the sugar until it’s amber and then stir in the butter. You can also add a touch of cinnamon for extra flavour but it’s totally optional. Be careful during this step because the sugar is very hot.
3. Puff pastry: store bought is completely fine. No need for egg wash.

Ingredients

4 green smith apples (or any sour cooking apples)

80g white sugar

35g butter, cubed

1 puff pastry sheet, cut to size of pan but leave a 1cm border

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
2. Peel and core your apples and cut into halves, thirds or quarters (it’s up to you on how you want the final look to be. Halves will give for a more rounder look but thicker tart, quarters will give for a more thinner look). Soak the apple slices in salted water to prevent browning and set aside.
3. Make your caramel: in an oven-safe pan over low-med heat, pour in your sugar and melt the sugar until it turns amber. If you prefer a less-sweet, more-bitter caramel then take the sugar to a slightly darker amber. If you prefer a sweeter caramel, you can just wait until every sugar granule is melted and amber and take it off the heat.
4. Once the sugar has reached your desired colour, take it off the heat, add in the butter and stir until well combined. Be extra careful in this step because the butter will sizzle and the sugar is hot. Your caramel is essentially done, feel free to add a touch of cinnamon for extra flavour if desired.
5. Remove the apples from the salted water and pat dry with a paper towel. Arrange apples neatly on top of the caramel.
6. Place the sheet of puff pastry over the top of the apples and use a knife to tuck the edges of the pastry in. Bake at 180C/350F for 45-50 mins or until the pastry is golden brown. Set aside to cool.
7. Once cooled, flip the tart upside down onto a plate/chopping board and serve with ice cream.