There is no better hot apple dessert than a classic tarte Tatin.
On my list of top 10 favourite desserts, tarte Tatin is No 3, just below crème brûlée. Although the thought hadn’t occurred to me till now, it’s funny that they both include caramel. Anyway, I believe that there is no better hot apple dessert.
Over the years, chefs have been very creative with the Tatin, using ingredients ranging from mangoes, pineapples and pears and even running to savoury versions using onions and tomatoes.
For me, the classic version remains the best. I’ve been cooking this tart for years, and although it’s no longer on the restaurant’s menu, hardly a winter goes by without someone requesting it.
So, what is tarte Tatin? The recipe requires apples to be slowly caramelised in butter and sugar, then topped with buttery puff pastry. After being finished in the oven, the tart is carefully inverted onto a plate. As the recipe involves hot caramel, care needs to be taken with this step. You need to get the caramel just right, too, or the flavours will be unpleasant.
The many stories surrounding the creation of this dessert all originate in the 19th century with the Tatin sisters. As legend has it, one sister was in the Hotel Tatin kitchen, just outside Paris, caramelising apples for a tart. Then the stories diverge: one suggests that she was overworked, another that she was flirting with a hunter. Regardless of the reason, the caramel and apples ended up overcooked. In an effort to rescue the dessert, she placed some pastry on top of the apples and put the pan into the oven. She later served the upside-down tart to an appreciative restaurant, and a culinary legend was born.
The recipes here are essentially versions of the same dessert, featuring apples and puff pastry. They are in my “feel-good” category of desserts. Although they’re simple to make, each dish could grace any dining occasion, from a humble evening with friends to a dinner party for the chief executive.
Always use firm dessert apples such as Granny Smith or Golden Delicious, otherwise the result will be a soft apple purée and soggy pastry.
TARTE TATIN
150g puff pastry
3 tbsp caster sugar
4 Granny Smith or Golden Delicious
apples, peeled, each apple cut into
3 cheeks around the core
75g unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 180?C. You will need a 20cm ovenproof omelette pan with deep sides that will allow the caramel to bubble and the pastry to rise. Roll the pastry out to a thickness of 3cm then use the pan as a guide to cut a circle slightly larger than the base. Put the pastry on a plate, cover with greaseproof paper and refrigerate. Place the pan on a low heat and sprinkle the sugar over the bottom. Add the butter in small pieces and melt, swirling the butter and sugar together until they begin to caramelise lightly and turn a delicate amber colour.
Arrange the apples cut-side up in a circle around the pan. Increase the heat slightly so that the apple juices mix with the caramel. Swirl the pan occasionally to prevent the apples from sticking. When the caramel reaches a rich golden colour, place the pastry over the top of the apples and put the pan into the oven. Cook for 12 minutes until the pastry rises. Remove the tart from the oven and place it back over a low heat to loosen any apples that may have stuck.
Invert a plate over the top of the pan and carefully flip the pan and plate over, taking great care not to get any caramel on your hands. Pour all the apple caramel juices over the tart and serve with crème fraîche, vanilla ice-cream or whipped cream flavoured with vanilla.
Makes 1 tart that serves 2.
BEFORE TARTE TATIN, there was this elegant tart. It is easy to make and can be prepared well ahead and either served cold or reheated briefly in the oven. Make them as individual tarts, as there is something special about having a whole tart to yourself.
FINE APPLE TART
200g puff pastry
8 Granny Smith or Golden Delicious
apples, peeled, cored and cut in half
lengthways
juice of ½ a lemon
3 tbsp caster sugar
75g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Preheat the oven to 180?C. Roll the pastry out thinly then cut out 4 circles, using an 18cm plate as a guide. Pierce the pastry with a fork and lay the circles out on greaseproof paper on a flat baking sheet. Cover with greaseproof paper and refrigerate. Thinly slice the apple and sprinkle with the lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Take the baking sheet from the refrigerator and place the apple slices in concentric circles around the pastries, leaving a 5mm gap around the outside edges to allow the pastry to rise and form a border. Sprinkle the apples with the sugar and dot the butter evenly over each tart. Bake the tarts for 20 minutes until the apples are lightly coloured and the pastry has puffed up around the edges. Serve with cream or ice-cream.
Makes 4 tarts.