← Nouns Cooking · French

Ingredients

• 320 g sheet of all-butter puff pastry
• 7 firm eating apples, such as Braeburn or Granny Smith (about 1 kg), peeled, quartered and cored
• 120 g caster sugar
• 60 g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• 1 pinch Salt
• 150 ml crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, 400°F). Scatter the sugar evenly over the base of a heavy 24 cm ovenproof frying pan.
2. Set the pan over medium heat and let the sugar melt without stirring, swirling the pan gently, for 5–7 min, until it becomes a deep amber caramel.
3. Take it off the heat and stir in the butter and salt; it will bubble up fiercely, so take care. Pack the apple quarters in tightly, rounded side down, in circles; they shrink as they cook.
4. Return the pan to medium-low heat for 10–15 min, spooning the caramel over the apples, until they start to soften and the juices bubble thickly. Let it cool for 10 min.
5. Roll the pastry slightly larger than the pan, lay it over the apples and tuck the edges down inside the pan. Prick it a few times with a knife.
6. Bake for 25–30 min, until the pastry is puffed and deep golden. Rest for 5 min, then put a large plate over the pan and, wearing oven gloves, flip it over in one confident move. Nudge any stray apples back into place and serve warm with crème fraîche.

Tips

• Caramel burns badly: keep children well away from the pan and always flip with gloves on.
• Choose apples that hold their shape; very soft cooking apples turn to mush.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

BBC Good Food Great British Chefs