Tarte Tatin is the quintessential French bistro dessert. It also has a nice wow factor, even though it is quite easy (should I say "facile") to prepare. I got this recipe from my favorite French cake cookbook, Les Gateaux de Mamie. Since I use the Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry, I decided to make it in a square baking pan, but you can also use a round one.
Ingredients
5 apples (the exact number depends on the size of your pan)
Frozen puff pastry (I recommend Pepperidge Farm)
100g powdered sugar
80g salted butter (40g for the caramel, 20g for the pan, 20g for the apples)
A few drops of apple cider vinegar
Preheat the oven to 465F.
Peel the apples, remove the core, and cut them in quarters.
Prepare the caramel: in a small saucepan, slowly melt 50g of sugar with 3tbsp of water. As soon as the mix takes a nice amber color, add 2-3 drops of vinegar, and 40g of butter. Mix well and reserve.
Butter the pan and pour the caramel into it. Put the apples at the bottom of the pan, round side down. Add some small pieces of butter on top of the apples and sprinkle the remaining sugar.
Put the pastry dough on top, carefully tucking the sides around the apples.
Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes.
Let the tarte cool down a little and reverse the pan into a plate, while it is still warm. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
