Helen RandellApple Tarte Tatin
June 30th 2010 09:09
Tarte Tatin has been on my list of things to make for quite a while now, and when the girls starting talking about a French night, I quickly put my hand up for dessert. For those who have been following the world gastronomic tour, we also had on the menu: champagne, pate, french cheese, quiche, souffle, venison stew, french salad, bouf tartare and cointreau truffles.
According to sources, tarte tatins were invented by the Tatin sisters by mistake. A couple of different theories abound, but the thread throughout them is that one of the sisters was trying to make an apple pie and was waylaid, causing the apples to caramelise. This is now a great classic French dish, and can be made with all sorts of fruits, as well as onions or zucchini.
I did a little bit of research before starting out with the tart, and took advice from several sources. I was tossing up the idea of making my own pastry, but then I happened to browse through the gourmet sales side of a local cafe and they had some boutique, butter puff pastry for sale. I decided then and there that was the way I was going to go, and I was not disappointed.
Apple Tarte Tatin - serves 6-12 (depending on how much other French food your guests have already consumed).
8 granny smith apples
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons water
40g butter
1 sheet store bought puff pastry
Core and peel your apples and then chop into eight pieces. Set aside.
In a heavy based tarte tatin dish (or something equivalent that can go from the stove top into the oven - I used the base of my tagine) heat sugar and water over low heat until in begins to melt. Increase the heat, and continue stirring while the sugar caramelises and begins to brown. Add butter.
Remove from heat and assemble apple pieces into the caramel, starting from the edge. Try to cover as much of the caramel as you can. Place the dish back on the heat and cook gently for another 10-12 minutes, until the apple is soft.
Remove from heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile roll out your puff pastry so that it is approximately 1 cm larger in diameter than your dish. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees C.
Place the pastry over the apples, pushing the pastry onto the pan at the sides.
Place the dish into the oven and back for about 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden and puffed.
Remove from oven and leave to cool for 15 minutes. Carefully place a plate over the tart dish and flip the dessert to turn it over on to the plate.
Serve either warm, or a room temperature, with cream or icecream if you wish.
| 108 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
Comment by S
Thanks xx S
Comment by Helen Randell
Rough Cooking