Tarte Tatin

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Peel the apples, cut them into quarters and cut out the cores, then toss them with the lemon juice so they don't brown. Apples shrink a lot as they cook, so it's fine if it looks like too many.

   Add in this stepFirm, sweet-tart apples (e.g. Braeburn, Granny Smith, Fuji) 2½Lemon (juice) ¼

   oven

2. Unroll the pastry and cut out a 20 cm circle (2 cm wider than the pan), then prick it all over with a fork. Keep it in the fridge until you need it; cold pastry puffs better.

   Add in this stepPuff pastry sheet, chilled 140 g

3. Spread the sugar evenly in a 18 cm ovenproof frying pan (with a metal handle) and melt it over medium heat for 5 min. Don't stir; just swirl the pan gently. As soon as it turns a deep amber, like maple syrup, move on. Caramel is about 170°C and burns badly, so never taste it with a finger.

   Add in this stepCaster sugar 70 g

   medium heat

4. Turn off the heat for a moment and stir in the butter and salt; it will foam up, so keep your face back. Stand the apple quarters on their sides, rounded side down, packing them in as tightly as you can. Return to medium-low heat and cook for 6 min, until the apple juice and caramel are bubbling together and the edges darken.

   Add in this stepUnsalted butter, cold and diced 30 gSalt 1 pinch

   medium-low heat

5. Lay the cold pastry over the apples, tuck the edges down inside the pan and cut 3 small steam holes in the middle. Bake in the oven for 24 min. It's done when the pastry is well risen and deep brown and caramel is bubbling up around the edges.

   oven

6. Take it out and leave it for 8 min; much longer and the caramel sets and sticks. Wearing oven gloves, put a plate larger than the pan on top, hold the pan and plate firmly together and flip them over in one confident move. Lift off the pan and put any stuck apple back in place with a spoon. Serve warm with crème fraîche.

   Add in this stepCrème fraîche or sour cream, to serve 4 tbsp