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Apricot and cardamom tarte tatin

Name: Apricot and cardamom tarte tatin
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: ready-rolled puff pastry 320g sheet; caster sugar 100g; butter 50g, cubed; cardamon pods 4-6, bashed; apricots 8-10 ripe, halved and stoned; double cream 300ml; chai 2 teabags or 1 heaped tsp of loose leaf; vanilla bean paste 1 tsp; condensed milk 150ml

50 minutes + chilling + freezing + resting
serves 6
Easy

When roasted, the sweetness of the apricots intensifies and turns really juicy – perfect for a tarte tatin spiced with cardamom and served with a no-churn chai ice cream

By Anna Glover

Published: June 30, 2021 at 10:25 am

Make this apricot tarte tatin, then check out our classic tarte tatin, pear tarte tatin, apricot tart and more indulgent dessert recipes.

Ingredients

ready-rolled puff pastry 320g sheet
caster sugar 100g
butter 50g, cubed
cardamon pods 4-6, bashed
apricots 8-10 ripe, halved and stoned

CHAI ICE CREAM

double cream 300ml
chai 2 teabags or 1 heaped tsp of loose leaf
vanilla bean paste 1 tsp
condensed milk 150ml

Method

Step 1

For the ice cream, tip the cream into a pan. Add the tea (snip the tea bags open for a more concentrated flavour, if you like) and vanilla, and warm over a low heat until just hot to the touch – but don’t allow it to boil. Pour into a bowl, cover and leave to cool. Once cool, chill for 3-4 hours or overnight (remove the tea bags after 4 hours) until cold. Remove the tea bags or strain using a fine-mesh sieve. Add the condensed milk and beat to soft peaks using an electric whisk. Spoon into a freezer-proof container, cover and freeze for 4 hours until solid.
Step 2

Unravel the puff pastry on its baking paper and top with an upside-down 20cm ovenproof frying pan or skillet. Use a knife to score around the edge of the pan, then remove it and chill the circle of pastry for 15 minutes (see cook’s notes, below).
Step 3

Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Tip the sugar into the frying pan you used as a template and set over a high heat. As soon as the sugar starts to melt at the edges, reduce the heat to medium-low and tip the pan back and forth to gently melt all the sugar – avoid stirring it. Once you get an even, golden caramel, reduce the heat to low and whisk in the butter and cardamom pods until you have a foaming, buttery caramel mixture.
Step 4

Arrange the apricot halves, cut-side up, in the caramel (being careful not to touch it), so they fit snugly in the base of the pan – they will shrink slightly when cooked. Top with the chilled pastry circle and, using a cutlery knife, tuck the edges of the pastry around the apricots. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden brown.
Step 5

Leave to rest for 10-15 minutes – the caramel will thicken slightly as it cools, making it easier to flip. Take the ice cream out of the freezer to soften slightly. Flip the tart onto a serving plate, being careful of any hot caramel drips, and serve with the ice cream.

COOK'S NOTES

Save any left-over puff pastry for canapés. Cover the excess pastry with a little Marmite or mustard and a fine grating of cheese, then cut into strips and twist into long spirals. Bake for 20 minutes at 200C/fan 180C/gas 7 until golden and crisp. Leave to cool, then serve with drinks before dinner.