I saw a picture of an upside down apple tart in an old Taste magazine. I have never made one before and searched on line for one with puff pastry (in true French style), and found one by Jamie Oliver. It is so deliciously yummy I could make one a week! Our lovely neighbours had 3 apples left on their young tree with an invitation to help myself while they were away! They were perfectly 'tart' to use for this recipe as it cut through the sweetness of the caramel. It is really so simple to make and looks really impressive when you have guests over. My photo is not as flash as Jamie's but you get the general idea.
500g puff pastry
5 small apples - a mixture of sweet and acidic varieties (approx 800g)
100g golden castor sugar
100ml Calvados (or Brandy)
1 vanilla pod cut lengthways with seeds scraped out
50g butter (cubed)
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius or 375 degrees Fahrenheit
Roll out pastry on a floured board until its about 0.5cm thick
This will be enough to cover an ovenproof fry pan you are cooking the tarte tartin in ( I use my lovely big cast iron one), leaving about 5cm extra around the edge
Put the pastry to one side. Peel apples, then halve them horizontally and use a teaspoon to get rid of the core and pips
Put the pan on a medium heat and add the sugar, Calvados, vanilla seeds and pod. Let the sugar dissolve and cook until the mixture forms a light caramel. Don't try to taste as it can burn you really easily! Once the caramel looks and smells delicious (it should be a lovely chestnut brown) - add your halved apples. Carefully stir everything in the pan and cook about 5 minutes or until the apples start to soften and you get a toffee apple vibe happening. Add the cubed butter, then lay the pastry over the top. Quickly and carefully tuck the pastry into the edges - it's best to use a wooden spoon so you don't touch the hot caramel. Bake the Tarte Tatin for about 25-30 minutes or until golden with crispy bits of caramel bubbling up from under the edges. Take it out of the oven. Carefully turn it out onto a plate wide enough (use an oven cloth to protect your self!), I asked my partner to help at this stage to hold the heavy pan while I held the plate steady! Put it to one side for a few minutes so the caramel cools down, then divide up and serve with creme fraiche, icecream or runny cream. Heaven!
Put the pan on a medium heat and add the sugar, Calvados, vanilla seeds and pod. Let the sugar dissolve and cook until the mixture forms a light caramel. Don't try to taste as it can burn you really easily! Once the caramel looks and smells delicious (it should be a lovely chestnut brown) - add your halved apples. Carefully stir everything in the pan and cook about 5 minutes or until the apples start to soften and you get a toffee apple vibe happening. Add the cubed butter, then lay the pastry over the top. Quickly and carefully tuck the pastry into the edges - it's best to use a wooden spoon so you don't touch the hot caramel. Bake the Tarte Tatin for about 25-30 minutes or until golden with crispy bits of caramel bubbling up from under the edges. Take it out of the oven. Carefully turn it out onto a plate wide enough (use an oven cloth to protect your self!), I asked my partner to help at this stage to hold the heavy pan while I held the plate steady! Put it to one side for a few minutes so the caramel cools down, then divide up and serve with creme fraiche, icecream or runny cream. Heaven!
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