Tarte Tatin

I feel like I have been posting a lot of desserts so far in this blog. I do cook savory, and a lot, but by the time it's done, I'm hungry and it doesn't last long enough to take a picture.

Tarte Tatin...just the name resonates differently in my mind... it is special, it is comfort, it's home, a reassuring shelter. It is also my father's favorite dessert. Coming back from his many work trips, he would always buy it from a special baker a hundred miles from our home. My father would come home with his luggages, and on one hand, holding the rectangular white box, with some strains of fat...I couldn't wait at all! A hug to my father, and then, a longer welcome to Tarte Tatin.

I made it a year ago, but I was disapointed by the result. The fact of making the caramel separately didn't really work for me.

This version is adapted from Gourmet Magazine. The one changed I made is using Pâte brisée instead of Puff Pastry. I don't think that puff pastry goes really well with tarte tatin, it just doesn't go well with the texture of the baked apples, and all the tenderness that you are looking for in a Tarte Tatin.

Ingredients:

1 pâte brisée recipe (for an 8 inch tart shell)

4 oz unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup of sugar

7 to 9 apples ( 3 to 4 lbs) peeled, quartered lenghtwise, and cored

Equipment : an 8 to 10-inch non stick pan or cast iron skillet

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Roll the dough into a round 1/2 inch larger than the size of your pan. Transfer to a baking sheet and chill.

Spread butter generously on the bottom and side of skillet and pour the sugar evenly over the bottom. Arrange the apples vertically in the skillet, packing them tightly in concentric circles.

Cook apples over moderately high heat until juices are deep golden and bubling, 20 min. To check the color of the caramel, use a white stick, or a white rubber spatula but do not disturb the arrangement of the apples.

Put skillet in the middle of oven and bake for another 20 min. The apples should be soft and slightly settled. Remove from oven and lay pastry dough round over the apples.

Bake tart until the dough is golden browned, 20 min. Transfer the skillet to a rack and let cool for about 10 min.

Now comes the tricky part. After all that work, you have to take a risk, and flip the tart tatin over. Put a large plate on top of the skillet, and flip over. In order to do so, the tart should still be slighlty hot, otherwise, if it's too cool, the carmel would be hard, and the apples will stick to the skillet. If it's the case, just put back the skillet on top of the stove, and warm until the caramel is disolved.

Tart tatin is good when it's served hot whit a dollop of crème fraîche.