French Tarte Tatin Upside-Down Caramelized Apple Tart with Vanilla Bean, Calvados and Creme Fraiche

Make the pastry (if not using store-bought): pulse flour, cold butter, sugar, and salt in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add ice water one tablespoon at a time, pulsing just until the dough comes together. Do not overwork. Flatten into a disc, wrap, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• For the caramelized apples:
• 6-7 firm baking apples (Golden Delicious or Fuji — they hold their shape when cooked)
• 150g (2/3 cup) unsalted butter
• 200g (1 cup) caster sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 2 tbsp Calvados (Norman apple brandy) or regular brandy
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• For the pastry (or use 1 sheet good-quality store-bought puff pastry):
• 200g (1.5 cups) plain flour
• 100g (7 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 3-4 tbsp ice-cold water
• For serving:
• Creme fraiche (essential — its tang cuts the rich caramel perfectly)
• Or: good vanilla ice cream

Instructions

1. Make the pastry (if not using store-bought): pulse flour, cold butter, sugar, and salt in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add ice water one tablespoon at a time, pulsing just until the dough comes together. Do not overwork. Flatten into a disc, wrap, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
2. Peel, core, and halve the apples. They will shrink considerably during cooking, so do not be alarmed by how many you use.
3. Make the caramel: melt butter in a 10-inch oven-safe skillet (ideally cast iron or the traditional copper tatin mould) over medium heat. Add sugar, vanilla seeds, and salt. Cook without stirring until the mixture turns a deep amber caramel — 8-12 minutes. Watch carefully: under-caramelized is bland; over-caramelized is bitter. The color should be dark copper.
4. Add the Calvados — stand back, it may flame. Stir to combine. Remove from heat.
5. Arrange the apple halves cut-side up in concentric circles in the caramel, packing them tightly — they will shrink as they cook. Return to medium-low heat and cook 20-25 minutes until the apples are completely tender and the caramel has thickened around them.
6. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Roll out the pastry to a circle slightly larger than your pan. Drape it over the apples, tucking the edges down between the apples and the pan sides — like tucking in a blanket.
7. Bake 25-30 minutes until the pastry is deeply golden and the caramel is bubbling around the edges. Let rest 10 minutes — this is crucial for the caramel to set slightly.
8. The inversion: place a large plate (larger than the pan) firmly over the pan. In one confident, swift motion, flip the pan — hesitation leads to disaster. Lift the pan away. The apples should be arranged in a magnificent golden-amber tart, glossy with caramel.
9. Serve warm, not hot, with a generous spoonful of cold creme fraiche. The Tarte Tatin was invented by accident at the Hotel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron in the 1880s and has been one of France's most copied and loved desserts ever since.