I haven't blogged for a while. A couple of weeks ago I had guests to stay and was simply too busy cooking to blog about it. Since then I have had a bad leg and been unable to stand for too long and my husband has kindly done most of the cooking.
Just before my guests came I found something I had long been searching for - a tin suitable for tarte tatin. This desirable item was finally located in Carrefour SA and even better, was discounted. The tin is like a cake tin but sturdy enough to put on the direct heat first before transferring to the oven.
I love tarte tatin. Many years ago, when I was a student ,a chain of French style bistros called Pierre Victoire sprung up across Britain. The lunch menu was ridiculously cheap and featured a three course meal of small but beautifully cooked portions. A student friend and I often treated ourselves, and being cheap only drank tap water. This probably caused some dismay behind scenes as the food was so cheap, the drinks must have brought the profit in. For dessert, I always chose tarte tatin at Pierre Victoire. Sadly, the chain failed and closed and it was some time before I found tarte tatin again.
I love apples and I love caramel. As a tiny pre-school child, I used to accompany my mother to the supermarket on a Wednesday morning. She would put me in the child seat in the trolley and I can still remember drawing level with the produce counter and feeling some excitement as she selected a toffee apple which was to be my post-shopping treat if I was a good girl. I think I can trace my love of tarte tatin to those uncomplicated feel-good times, the simple joy of a toffee apple on a Wednesday morning.
I have made tarte tatin twice now and am satisfied enough with today's version to post the recipe. I made my own short crust pastry but ready-roll puff pastry is also an option.
Ingredients for Tarte Tatin
Pastry:
200 g plain flour
50 g icing sugar
100 g butter
1 egg yolk
approx 2 desertspoons of cold water
Filling:
75 g caster sugar
30 g butter
3 large sweet eating apples
a little lemon juice
cinnamon to taste
Pre-heat the oven to 230 C/gas mark 8/450 F
First make the pastry by sieving flour and icing sugar into a bowl. Cut up butter into small pieces and rub in with fingers or in a food processor. Beat the egg yolk slightly and add to the rubbed in mixture. Add as much water as necessary to bring together to a soft but not sticky dough. If the dough is made by hand it may benefit from being wrapped in cling film and rested in the fridge for 20 mins. I made mine in a processor and skipped this step as processed pastry is reliably short. Roll pastry out to a circle that is just slightly larger than the base of your pan.
Sprinkle the sugar across the base of the pan and put on the hob on a gentle heat. When it is turning brown, add the butter and leave to melt.
Core and peel the apples, sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent oxidisation. Cut into fairly thick pieces (about 1.5 cm) and arrange in the caramel in an interlocking circle, keep the heat on gently. Be careful not to touch the caramel with the tips of your fingers as I did! The apples must be packed tightly as they reduce during cooking. Fill the centre of the circle with apple pieces. Sprinkle with cinammon.
Lift your pastry disc and carefully place over apples. Tuck the edges down around the apples. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. When pastry is cooked remove from oven. Place an inverted plate on the tarte and flip over so the tarte unmolds apple side up.