Tarte tatin

A recipe from France: The Cookbook

Preparation: 25 minutes

Cooking: 30 minutes

Serves: 6 people

Ingredients:

1 quantity shortcrust pastry

125g (4¼oz) (scant ⅔ cup) caster (superfine) sugar

For the filling:

500g (1lb 2oz) apples

40g (1½oz) (3 tablespoons) butter

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.

Make the shortcrust pastry, cover and allow it to rest.

Take a flameproof pie dish with a solid base, preferably made of solid metal, and place in it 100 g (3½oz) of the sugar and 1 – 2 tablespoons water. Place the dish over a medium heat and make a fairly dark caramel. 

Ensure the base of the dish is coated in caramel and allow to cool.

For the filling, peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Arrange close together in a ring on the caramel in the dish and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Dot with the butter.

Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 5mm (¼inch) and place over the apples, tucking the pastry into the tin all round so that the fruit is completely covered.

Bake for 30 minutes, then turn out immediately onto a serving dish so that the caramelised apples are on top.