Plum tarte tatin

An irresistibly juicy and sweet plum tarte Tatin, glowing with autumn colours. Fragrant fruit, rich caramel, crisp puff pastry and — absolutely essential — a scoop of vanilla ice cream… that’s all you need for this wonderfully simple dessert. It works beautifully with any variety of plums, and I’m certain you’ll love it.

Ingredients for the plum tarte Tatin:

• 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry (about 320 g)
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 30 g butter
• 120 g caster sugar
• 550 g plums

Halve and stone the plums. In an ovenproof frying pan (preferably cast iron, about 23 cm in diameter), combine the sugar and orange juice. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves (do not stir). Once dissolved, increase the heat and cook for about 5 minutes, until the caramel turns a deep golden colour — be careful not to burn it. Remove from the heat and immediately add the butter, stirring carefully (the caramel will bubble up). Set aside briefly to cool.

Arrange the plum halves over the caramel, cut side down, slightly overlapping.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Cut a circle of puff pastry to match the size of your pan and place it over the plums, gently tucking the edges down the sides.

Bake at 200°C for about 35 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and leave for about 5 minutes, then carefully run a knife around the edge and invert onto a serving plate so the fruit is on top. (If there’s excess caramel, you can pour it over the tart after turning it out.)

Serve warm, ideally with vanilla ice cream, or with a spoonful of crème fraîche and a pinch of cinnamon.

Enjoy!