Vanilla Bean Tarte Tatin

Ingredients

  • 5 Pink Lady or other crisp apples (about 2 lb.), peeled

  • ½ cup sugar

  • ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  • ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (one 14-oz. package or half of a 17.3-oz. package), thawed

  • All-purpose flour (for surface)

Directions 

Preheat oven to 375°. Cut apples as close to core as possible into 1 inch thick pieces. Scatter half of sugar in a heavy 9” skillet and scrape in vanilla seeds; discard pod. Cook over medium heat, stirring very occasionally, until sugar is melted and starting to caramelize, 6–8 minutes (if using a cast-iron skillet, test the color of the caramel by spooning some onto a white plate. It should be pale amber). Be careful to not mix the sugar into globs that will turn into candied chunks later. Add remaining sugar and cook until all sugar is dissolved and has taken on a deep amber color.

Stir in butter, vinegar, and salt. Place apples cut side down in skillet and cook until they start giving up some of their juices and shrink slightly, 5–8 minutes.Remove the slices from the heat and spray the muffin tin lightly, carefully lay the apple slices together so they overlap slightly in the pan filling almost to the top. (The apples will shrink more as they bake, so they need to be tightly packed from the beginning.) If there are any leftover juices mix pour them evenly into each of the muffin tins. 

Gently roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface just to smooth out creases; find a cup that matches the same size of each of your muffin tins. Cut around the lip of the cup enough circles to lay lightly over each of the apples. 

Bake until pastry is puffed and starting to brown in spots, 20–25 minutes. When you take them out the pastry puff will be huge, you can push them down so they create a small crust. Let them cool completely in the tin. Use a spoon to scoop each of them out, replacing some of the apples into alignment. 

Best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!! 

yields: 6-8 individual tarts
inspired by Bon Appetit

Baking, Fall, Winter, DessertSkylar BoruckeBaking, Apple, Holiday, Pies, VanillaComment