Raymond Blanc’s tarte tatin

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180°C/160°C/gas 6.
2. Put the tarte tatin dish on the hob, and over a medium heat cook the sugar and diced butter to a brown caramel. The Emile Henry tarte tatin dish is ideal for making sure the caramel stays dark but doesn’t burn.
3. Arrange the apple quarters very tight, around the edges first, with the core facing up and towards the centre, then fill in the middle part of the mould the same way, press with your hands gently to ensure there are no gaps, and brush with melted butter.
4. Cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and place the disc of puff pastry on top, tuck in the edges and, with a knife, prick a few holes in the top to allow some of the steam to escape during cooking.
6. Cook in the oven for a further 40-45 minutes until the puff pastry is golden brown and crisp.
7. Allow to cool at room temperature for about 1 hour before de-moulding, apple-side up, on to the serving platter.