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France, Europe · Tarte Tatin

Upside-Down Caramel Apple Puff Squares

Tarte Tatin shrunk into a viral bite: caramel and thin apple baked under puff pastry squares on a tray, flipped and finished with a cream cheese drizzle.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time32 min
DifficultyEasy
About servingsThe caramel is very hot and burns skin. If you're cooking with children, let an adult handle the caramel.

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with baking paper. You're making 4 × 10 cm squares, so mark out where each one goes, 3 cm apart.

    oven

  2. Melt the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small pan over medium-low heat, stirring, for , until bubbling and glossy. Spoon some onto each spot on the paper, spread it into a thin 8 cm square and sprinkle with a little flaky salt. The caramel is hot, so don't touch it.

    Add in this stepUnsalted butter 20 gLight brown sugar 40 gGround cinnamon ¼ tspFlaky sea salt 1 pinch

    medium-low heat

  3. Core the apples, leaving the skin on, and slice them 3 mm thin. Fan the slices over the caramel, overlapping them slightly. Thin slices turn tender in the short baking time.

    Add in this stepFirm apples 1

  4. Cut the puff pastry into 10 cm squares and lay them over the apples, pressing down firmly with a fork around the outside of the fruit. Prick the centres a few times with the fork and brush the tops with half the milk. Bake in the oven for , until the pastry is well puffed and deep golden and caramel is bubbling at the edges.

    Add in this stepPuff pastry sheet, chilled 160 gMilk 1 tbsp

    oven

  5. Cool for , then use a spatula to lift each square and flip it apple side up; leave them much longer and the caramel sticks to the paper. Spread any caramel left on the paper over the apples.

  6. Beat the cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla and the rest of the milk until smooth and pourable, then zigzag it over the squares and serve warm.

    Add in this stepCream cheese, at room temperature 60 gIcing sugar 1½ tbspVanilla extract ¼ tspMilk 1 tbsp

Cook's tip

Pear, canned peaches or banana all work instead of apple. Pastry puffs best when it's cold, so bake it as soon as it's cut. If the drizzle is too thick, add a few more drops of milk.

Cooking it at camp

Line the bottom of a lidded cast-iron pan with baking paper and bake 2 to 4 squares at a time the same way, with plenty of coals on the lid, for 15 to 20 minutes. Make the cream cheese drizzle at home and carry it in the cooler.