TARTE TATIN

SERVES 8–10

● Approx. 1.5kg tart apples (e.g. Cox’s Orange Pippin or Braeburn)

● 150g sugar

● 100g butter

● 2 packs (each 280g) puff-pastry rounds (refrigerated)

● 250g crème fraîche

● 3 tbsp Calvados (apple brandy)

● 1 tbsp mild honey

1. Peel and quarter the apples and remove their cores. Slowly melt the sugar in a tarte tatin or flameproof/ovenproof dish, 26cm in diameter, over a low heat until it caramelises and turns a pale brown colour. Stir in the butter in small flakes, then remove the dish from the heat. Arrange the apple quarters upright and close together in the still-soft caramel. Return the dish to the heat and simmer the apples in the caramel for 10 minutes. This will evaporate some of the liquid and slightly caramelise the apples.

2. Meanwhile, take the puff pastry out of the fridge and bring to room temperature for 5 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ 400°F/gas 6. Lay the two pastry rounds on top of each other over the apples, tucking the pastry edges between the edge of the dish and the apples. Prick the pastry several times with a fork. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the pastry is light brown and crispy.

3. Stir the crème fraîche, Calvados and honey together in a bowl. Remove the dish from the oven, lay an inverted cake plate on top of the tarte and turn it out onto the plate. Take care, as some of the hot juice may trickle out. Cut the tarte tatin into slices and serve with the Calvados cream.

This is an edited extract from In Love with Paris by Anne-katrin Weber (Quadrille, £16.99). Photography Julia Hoersch