Spiced Apricot Tarte Tatin

A deeply delicious Summery alternative to its better known apple-y cousin, this apricot Tarte Tatin is gently spiced with cardamom, and the salt in the rich Ivy’s butter cuts through the bitterness created by the burnt sugar caramel.

Sheet of all butter puff pastry

100g caster sugar, or vanilla sugar

50g Ivy’s Reserve Salted Butter, cut into cubes, plus extra, melted, for brushing

6 cardamom pods, bashed

A few grinds of black pepper

1 vanilla pod, scored down the middle

8-10 ripe apricots, halved and pits removed

To serve

‍Crème fraiche or vanilla ice cream

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Unroll the puff pastry and use a round, ovenproof 20cm pan as a trace to trim the pastry into the circle. Transfer the pastry round to the fridge to chill while you prepare the caramel.

Heat the 20cm pan on the hob over a medium high heat and pour in the sugar. Carefully tilt and swirl the pan to ensure the sugar melts evenly – try to avoid stirring it as this can cause the sugar to crystallise when it sets. Once all the sugar has melted, whisk in the butter cubes as well as the cardamom and pepper.  

When you have a foaming, buttery mixture, arrange the apricot halves, cut side up, and nestle the vanilla pod amongst the apricots. Lay the chilled pastry round over the top of the apricots, and use a butter knife to tuck the pastry into the crevices around the fruit. Brush the top of the pastry with melted butter and transfer to the middle shelf on the oven to cook for 30 minutes until the pastry is deep golden and the sides are molten and bubbling.

Allow the tarte tatin to cool for 20 minutes before inverting it onto a plate. This will help the caramel to thicken and hold everything together. Serve the slices with crème fraiche or ice cream (or both).

Tip: you can make your own vanilla sugar by submerging any used vanilla pods in a jar of caster sugar. After 24 hours, you’ll have a fragrant sugar, flecked with black seeds.