Ingredients :

• Apples — Choose varieties that hold up during cooking: Golden, Reine des Reinettes, Boskoop, or Fuji. Avoid Granny Smith alone — too acidic, it gives a sharp Tatin. A mix of Golden and Boskoop is the ideal balance: tender and with some structure. Count two nice apples per person, they reduce a lot.
• Semi-salted butter — Not salted, not light. Semi-salted, preferably from Brittany, with at least 82% fat. That’s what makes the caramel — it must be quality. Take it out of the fridge thirty minutes before starting. Cold butter in a hot caramel makes lumps and is tricky to fix.
• Sugar — White, plain. No brown sugar here — it colors too fast and can mask the butter taste. White sugar lets you control the color, which is precious when you’re watching a caramel that can tip in ten seconds.
• Shortcrust pastry — Shortcrust, not puff. Puff pastry softens too quickly under the apples and gives a soggy base. A good store-bought shortcrust works perfectly. Homemade if you have time — flour, cold butter, ice water, a pinch of salt, ten minutes of work and an hour in the fridge.