Tarte Tatin

The classic upside-down caramelized apple tart, baked under pastry and flipped to serve.

Ingredients

• 8 firm apples (Golden Delicious or Honeycrisp), peeled, halved and cored
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 tbsp butter
• 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry, rolled to fit the pan
• Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a heavy ovenproof skillet, melt the butter with the sugar over medium heat and cook, swirling, until it turns into a deep amber caramel.
2. Arrange the apple halves tightly, rounded side down, in the caramel, packing them in. Cook over medium heat 15 to 20 minutes until the apples soften and the caramel thickens.
3. Drape the puff pastry over the apples, tucking the edges down inside the pan around the fruit.
4. Bake until the pastry is puffed and deep golden, about 25 to 30 minutes.
5. Let rest 5 minutes, then carefully invert the tart onto a serving plate so the caramelized apples face up. Serve warm, ideally with creme fraiche.

Notes

Adapted from Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook; he warned to respect the hot caramel when flipping.