French Tarte Tatin with Caramelized Apples, Brown Butter, Vanilla and Buttery Puff Pastry

Peel, core, and quarter the apples. For the most dramatic presentation, cut them into halves rather than quarters — they shrink considerably during caramelization and you want substantial pieces in the final tart.

Ingredients

• For the tart:
• 6-7 medium apples (Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, or a mix — avoid very soft varieties)
• 100g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 180g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 1 sheet good-quality puff pastry (about 300g), thawed if frozen
• For serving:
• Creme fraiche, cold (the classic accompaniment — its tanginess is essential against the sweet tart)
• Or: good vanilla ice cream
• Flaky sea salt for finishing

Instructions

1. Peel, core, and quarter the apples. For the most dramatic presentation, cut them into halves rather than quarters — they shrink considerably during caramelization and you want substantial pieces in the final tart.
2. Make the caramel: in a 10-inch oven-safe skillet (cast iron is ideal), melt the butter over medium heat, stirring until it begins to turn golden brown and smell nutty — this is beurre noisette (brown butter) and it transforms the caramel from merely sweet to complex and almost toffee-like. Add the sugar all at once and cook, without stirring, until it melts and turns a deep amber color — about 10-12 minutes. Swirl the pan gently but do not stir. The caramel should be the color of dark honey, not pale yellow.
3. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and salt carefully — the caramel will bubble vigorously. Tilt the pan to distribute the caramel evenly.
4. Arrange the apple halves tightly in the caramel — standing on their cut sides in concentric circles, fitting as many as possible. They will look overcrowded; this is correct. Return to medium heat and cook 15-20 minutes until the apples soften and the caramel bubbles up between them and turns a deeper, richer brown. The apples will shrink significantly.
5. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
6. Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface to a circle slightly larger than your skillet. Drape it over the apples, tucking the edges down around the apples and inside the pan rim like tucking in a blanket.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is deeply golden, puffed, and crispy. Remove from oven. Allow to cool in the pan for exactly 5-10 minutes — no longer. If you wait too long, the caramel will set and the tart will stick permanently.
8. Place a large plate over the skillet. In one confident motion, flip the tart. Lift the skillet. The apples should be deep mahogany, lacquered with caramel. Rearrange any apple that shifted. Serve warm with cold creme fraiche — the temperature contrast and the tart dairy against sweet caramel is the whole point. The Tarte Tatin was invented by accident at a hotel in the Loire Valley in the 1880s and immediately became a permanent fixture of French cuisine.