Apple Tarte Tatin

Caramelized apple tarte Tatin with puff pastry.

Ingredients

• 1 box, 2 Sheets (1.1 lbs) Puff Pastry
• 5 Medium Granny Smith Apples
• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1 cup Dark Brown Sugar Packed
• 4 Tbsp Salted Butter Cut into 4 Pieces
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

Method

1. THAW PASTRY: Take the box of puff pastry sheets out of the freezer 30 minutes prior to cooking.
2. PREHEAT: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
3. PREPARE APPLES: Peel, quarter and core the apples. Halve each apple quarter and set aside.
4. COOK APPLES: Place the brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract and butter in a large sauté pan. Place the pan on medium heat. As the butter and sugar melt, stir all ingredients together. When completely melted and fully incorporated, add the apples. Stir and coat all of the apples. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. After each time you stir, try to keep the apples in a single layer in the sauté pan.
5. ARRANGE: Remove from the heat. Using tongs, transfer the apples from the sauté pan and neatly arrange in a pinwheel pattern on the bottom of a 10-inch round cake pan. Create the pinwheel pattern from the outside in. You can double up in some areas with the excess apples.
6. RESERVE CARAMEL: Spatula the caramel sauce from the pan to a small saucepan and place on medium-low heat to hold while the Tarte Tatin cooks in the oven. Stir the sauce occasionally until the sugar completely dissolves. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from the heat and set aside.
7. COVER WITH PASTRY: Drape one sheet of puff pastry over about 75% of the apple layer, tucking the edges down against the inside edge of the cake pan. Use half of the second sheet of puff pastry and slightly overlap with the first sheet to cover the apples completely. Tuck the edges of the second sheet against the inside edge of the cake pan.
8. BAKE: Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20-25 minutes until the puff pastry is golden brown.
9. COOL AND INVERT: Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before flipping over. Place a flat pan that is larger than the cake pan on top of the cake pan. Holding the bottom of the cake pan with one hand, and the larger pan on top with your other hand, flip the two pans over so the larger pan is now on the bottom.
10. SERVE: Gently remove the pan that the apples cooked in and voila, Tarte Tatin. Cut into slices and serve with ice cream and the reserved caramel sauce.