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1
Pre-heat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
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2
Dust a board with flour and roll out the puff pastry to 5mm, or if you have bought the puff pastry sheets, make sure 2 of them are thawed and push them firmly together to make 1 thicker sheet. Try to make to width of the puff pastry similar to the pan you are using.
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3
Add the sugar and 50 ml of water to an ovenproof pan on low-medium heat. The sugar will dissolve and the syrup will start to bubble. Stir it around gently approximately every 2 minutes and wait for the syrup to develop a golden brown colour (this will take around 15-20 minutes so be patient).
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4
DO NOT touch or taste the caramel. The temperature of sugar that is boiling or simmering in any form goes higher than 100 degrees and can easily burn through the skin.
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5
Once the syrup has developed a nice golden colour, take the pan of the heat and carefully add the butter, vanilla extract and maple syrup. Stir slowly and get everything mixed and melted through.
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6
Drain the apples, and carefully with a pair of tongs, add the apples to the pan. Make sure the apples are evenly spread out.
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7
Place the Puff pastry over the pan, make it covers all the apples and the caramel and the corners are tucked in (do this with the tongs if you wish), be very careful doing this (it's ok if some caramel comes through the sides a bit). Get a fork and prick a few holes in the pastry so the air that builds up while your cooking this beauty doesn't get trapped.
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8
Place in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is cooked all the way through and the golden brown.
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9
Don't forget to use a tea-towel or mittens when holding the pan. Get a plate or chopping board and place it on top of the pan. Get a good grip on the pan and the board/plate and flip the tarte over (be quick and confident about it). Be careful not to get the caramel on your hands.
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10
Lift up the pan and there is your sexy little tart. Serve with a generous scoop of vanilla ice-cream.
