Tarte Tatin

Method

1. 01

   Step 1: Prepare the apples

   Heat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F). Peel the apples, halve them and scoop out the cores with a spoon or knife; quarter any very large ones.

2. 02

   Step 2: Make the caramel

   Sprinkle the sugar evenly into a heavy 24 cm (9 1/2 in) ovenproof frying pan and set it over medium heat. Do not stir — just swirl the pan — until the sugar melts and turns amber, like strong tea, 6–8 minutes. Take it off the heat, add the butter and salt and stir; it will foam up.

3. 03

   Step 3: Arrange the apples

   Stand the apple halves on their sides in a tight ring, rounded side down, and fill the centre with the rest. Pack them more snugly than seems necessary — they shrink as they cook.

4. 04

   Step 4: Cook on the stove

   Return the pan to medium-low heat for 15–20 minutes, spooning caramel over the apples now and then. They should soften at the edges and the sauce become thick and deep amber; if there is a lot of juice, give it a few minutes more. Let the pan stand for 10 minutes.

5. 05

   Step 5: Cover with pastry

   Roll the pastry to 3 mm and cut a round 2 cm larger than the pan. Lay it over the apples and tuck the edges down between the fruit and the side of the pan. Cut 3–4 small slits in the middle.

6. 06

   Step 6: Bake the tart

   Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the pastry is well risen and deep golden.

7. 07

   Step 7: Turn it out

   Let it stand for 5 minutes, but no longer than 10 or the caramel will set. Put a plate larger than the pan on top and, wearing oven gloves, flip it over in one confident move. Nudge any stuck apples back into place with a spatula and serve warm with sour cream.