Tarte Tatin (French Apple Tart)

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• 6 oz puff pastry (most of 1 sheet) or a 8-9 in shortcrust pastry round*
  Ingredient note

  Source: 6 oz puff pastry (most of 1 sheet) or a 8-9 in shortcrust pastry round*
• 4 each apples (Honeycrisp, Gala or Braeburn are good choices)
  Ingredient note

  Source: 4 apples (Honeycrisp, Gala or Braeburn are good choices)
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice (approx)
  Ingredient note

  Source: 1 Tbsp lemon juice (approx)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  Ingredient note

  Source: 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
  Ingredient note

  Source: 1/2 cup sugar

1. Gently roll out the pastry to around 1/8 inch thick. Turn an 8 in cast iron skillet upside down and place it on top of the pastry so that it has pastry all underneath it. Cut a circle of pastry just slightly larger than the size of the skillet. Lift off the skillet and set aside. Transfer the round of pastry to a parchment or silicone mat-lined baking sheet or plate and place it in the refrigerator until needed later.
2. Peel the apples and cut them into quarters. Remove the stem and core from each piece. Place the apple pieces in a bowl and squeeze or sprinkle a little lemon juice on each piece as it is cut, to help stop them going too brown. Repeat with the rest of the apples.
3. Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).
4. Cut the butter into cubes and place the butter and sugar in the skillet you used earlier. Warm them together over a medium heat, stirring almost constantly, so that the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. (Don't worry if they seem to separate, they should come together shortly after.)
5. Once the sugar has melted and the mixture is starting to turn golden and caramelize, add the apple slices (if you can, wipe them dry before adding). The skillet may seem overly full, so you can hold back a couple slices at first and add them as the apples start to shrink a little.
6. Cook the apples in the caramel mixture, turning regularly so that they both get coated in the mixture and start to soften. Keep cooking for around 10 minutes until they are becoming relatively tender when tested with a knife, but not mushy. Remove the apple slices and set them aside on a plate.
7. Increase the heat under the skillet to reduce the caramel a little (it will likely have become a bit more liquid with the juices from the apple). Stir it regularly. Once the mixture has thickened, after a couple minutes, remove from the heat.
8. Off the heat, add the apple slices back to the skillet, placing the rounded (outer) side of each piece down into the caramel. (Note that the caramel will be hot, so avoid touching it.) Try to arrange the apple slices in a circle around the outside, just slightly overlapping the slices. Then, use additional pieces of apple to fill the middle.
9. Remove the pastry from the fridge and carefully place the circle of pastry over the apples as centered as you can. Tuck the extra pieces of pastry in around the edges of the apple down inside the skillet. Then, prick the top of the pastry either in a couple places towards the middle or a few dotted around. (This is to help steam escape as it cooks.)
10. Place the skillet into the oven and bake for approximately 30 - 40 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for around 5 - 10 minutes.
11. Then, slide a knife around the edge to ensure it is loosened. Use a plate that is at least the size of the top of the skillet and place it on top of the skillet, top side down. Carefully pick up the skillet and plate together and, still holding the plate on top, flip the skillet over so that the pastry goes onto the plate with the apples now on top. You may have some caramel left in the skillet - scoop it out and drizzle over the apples. Serve warm or at room temperature.