Apple Tarte Tatin With Scented Caramel

Yield: 1 x 10-inch tart

Time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS
Caramel:
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger
A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons whisky
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

3/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Juice of 1 lemon
8 medium Granny Smith apples
1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter to finish the sauce

DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Begin by peeling apples, then cut in half and discard cores. In a large mixing
bowl toss with lemon juice then sprinkle with 3/4 cup of sugar and cinnamon.
In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet add sugar and vanilla and set over high heat to
melt. Swirl the pan gently to melt the sugar evenly. Once it bubbles and turns
a light caramel color remove from heat and add whisky -- take care as it will
bubble up vigorously. Return to low heat and re-melt some of the sugar that
will have crystallized when the whisky was added. Add lemon juice, nutmeg
and ginger. Stir well until everything has dissolved and incorporated evenly.
Remove from heat and add butter. Swirl gently to dissolve the butter slowly
into the caramel -- this will ensure the sauce doesn't break.
Add apple halves to the pan with caramel, slightly overlapping them as you
go. Press down on the apples gently so they are packed in tightly in the pan -that way when you invert it there won't be any gaps.
Unfold the puff pastry and give it a gentle roll with a rolling pin if necessary to
remove creases. Lay pastry across the top -- depending on your sheets you
may have to overlap two sheets. Cut the edges off so the pastry circle sits
just inside of the rim of the pan then bake in the oven for about 45-60
minutes until pastry has puffed up and apples are tender -- tent with foil is
the top gets too brown.
When done, remove from the oven and let the tarte rest for 15 minutes
before inverting onto a plate. Tip off some of the liquid and reduce in a small
sauce pan until it is nice and syrupy. Serve with tart tatin.