Apple tarte tatin

Apple tarte tatin is a true delight! This dessert mixes caramelised sweetness with tangy apple undertones. The flaky texture of the pastry is another winner, giving the tarte a buttery, flakey base.

We took inspiration from Oliver Rowe, and served ours with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whilst the tarte was still warm.

And it’s not just apples! Other fruit like pears and prunes also works great for this pudding.

Here’s how to make it yourself:

Ingredients

For the pastry:

• 320 grams plain flour
• 225 grams butter
• 110 grams icing sugar
• 3 egg yolks

For the filling:

• 4 granny smith apples
• 1/4 lemon
• 110 grams caster sugar
• 110 grams butter

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Peel and cut the apples into 8 – 12 wedges.
2. In a food processor, mix the flour, butter and icing sugar until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks, and mix until it comes together in a dough. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use your hands. Make sure to keep the butter ice-cold to help the dough bind together.
3. Divide the dough into two pieces, wrap in clingfilm and put in the freezer to chill for an hour.
4. Whilst the dough is in the freezer, you can work on the filling. Place the apple wedges in a bowl, squeeze the lemon juice over them and toss them.
5. Sprinkle 85 grams of sugar in a pan, placing on the hob over a medium heat. You want to caramelise the sugar, turning the pan frequently and making sure the sugar doesn’t burn. When the sugar becomes a pale golden brown, remove from the heat and arrange the apple pieces in one layer over the bottom of the pan.
6. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the apples have softened – after about 10 minutes, the apples will have started to release some liquid.
7. Take the pan out the oven and sprinkle the remaining sugar and dot the butter on top. Then, take your pastry from the freezer and grate the pastry over the apples. You can use a cheese grater for this, using long steady strokes until the pastry forms an even layer, around 1cm thick.
8. Pop this back in the oven, turning the heat down to 220 degrees and baking until the pastry is golden brown (around 20 minutes). Take out the oven and leave to rest for a few minutes.
9. Take a heatproof serving dish that is larger than your pan. Place this over the pan. Holding the dish and pan firmly together, carefully flip the pan and the dish so that the pan is on top. You can use a dry folded tea-towel to protect your hands! Tap the pan sharply a few times all round with a wooden spoon, then lift off. The tart should be left on the serving dish with the apple on top.
10. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

And there you have it! We hope you enjoy.

We paired this rich dessert with a lighter main; it worked great with our mediterranean roasted chicken breasts!