Step 1

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the cold butter and work it into the flour using your fingertips or a pastry cutter. The mixture should be uneven and chunky.

Step 2

Add the water and mix into it in until the dough begins to come together. You can use your hands to squeeze it together in places.

Step 3

Gather the dough and shape it into a disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour before using it.

Step 4

Preheat the oven to 375 ºF.

Step 5

Peel all the apples. Slice them in half and remove the cores with a pairing knife. You can place the cut fruit in a big bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon to prevent them from going brown.

Step 6

Butter a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or stainless steel Rondeau pot.

Step 7

Place in on the burner. Sprinkle with one quarter of the sugar and tilt and swirl the pan to evenly distribute the sugar in an even layer.

Step 8

Heat the pan on medium–high, swirling the pan to melt the sugar evenly. When it's almost all melted, add a little more.

Step 9

Continue swirling and tilting the pan until all the sugar is in the pan and melted.

Step 10

Heat the mixture until the sugar has caramelized and is a deep amber colour.

Step 11

Take the pan off the heat and carefully add the butter, swirling the pan to mix it in.

Step 12

Add the vanilla bean paste and the salt and swirl the pan to mix it in.

Step 13

Arrange the apple halves, cut-side up so that the rounded side is down. It's okay if they overlap a little. You can always rearrange them later.

Step 14

Bake the apples for 15 minutes in the preheated oven.

Step 15

When the apples are par-baked, remove the pan from the oven. At this point, because the apples are softer, you can carefully rearrange the apples to fit them tighter. Set aside.

Step 16

Increase the oven temperature to 400 ºF.

Step 17

Roll out the homemade crust (or store-bought) and trim it to make an 11-inch circle (you can use a plate or a pot lid as a template to cut a circle). Prick the pastry with a fork. Carefully place the disk of rolled pastry overtop the baked apples.

Step 18

Return the pot to the oven and bake the tarte tatin for about 45 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown all over. The filling should be bubbling underneath (you will hear it).

Step 19

Take the pot out of the oven and set it to cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Step 20

Run a knife around the edge of the tart to make sure it's loose. Place a large serving plate over the pot and carefully flip the pot/tart onto the plate. Lift the pot off the tart and rearrange any fallen apples.

Step 21

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.