Cherish’s tarte Tatin perfectly combines golden caramelised tender apples with a buttery, flaky rough puff pastry. Impress your guests and yourself as you turn this out at the table. We’ve paired it with a silky-smooth vanilla cream, but you could easily opt for a scoop of ice cream for an added dose of comfort.
Serves:
6
Difficulty:
Needs skill
Baking Time:
35 mins
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- Ingredients
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Method
Step 1
For the cheat’s rough puff, mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. Rub in the chilled butter using your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Step 2
Gradually add enough water to form a dough (about 4–5 tablespoons of water).
Step 3
Roll the dough out into a 30cm x 12cm rectangle on a lightly floured work surface.
Step 4
With one of the short ends of the rectangle facing you, coarsely grate half of the frozen butter over the bottom two thirds of the dough. Fold down the top third and fold up the bottom third as if folding a letter.
Step 5
Turn the folded dough through 90 degrees and roll it out into a rectangle again. Repeat the process of adding the remaining frozen butter and fold as before.
Step 6
Wrap the dough in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 25 minutes.
Step 7
Repeat the rolling and folding process twice more, chilling the pastry for 25 minutes each time.
Step 8
For the tart, heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6. Peel, quarter and core the apples. Tip the sugar into the Tatin dish with 3 tablespoons of water and place over a medium heat. Cook until the sugar has melted to a golden caramel, swirling the pan from time to time. Don’t let the caramel get too dark or it will burn and be bitter.
Step 9
Add the butter to the pan (be careful as it will splutter) stirring until combined. Add the apple quarters and spoon the buttery caramel over the apples. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the apples are tender but retain their shape and the caramel is a dark golden colour.
Step 10
Remove from the heat and cool slightly, then arrange all but 2 of the apple quarters cut-side up in a circle around the edge and the remaining 2 apple quarters in the middle.
Step 11
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to 5mm thick and using a plate as a guide, cut out a disc slightly larger than the Tatin pan.
Step 12
Roll the pastry onto your rolling pin, then unroll it over the apples. Carefully tuck the edges into the sides of the pan. Prick the surface of the pastry with a fork.
Step 13
Bake for 35 minutes until the pastry is puffed up and golden and the caramel is bubbling around the sides.
Step 14
For the Chantilly cream, slice the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife. Pour the cream into a bowl, add the vanilla seeds and icing sugar and whisk to soft peaks. Spoon into a serving bowl.
Step 15
Remove the tart from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before carefully turning upside down onto a serving plate. Serve with the Chantilly cream.
