Tarte Tatin

It's pie but better.

For our fabulous enchilada dinner, I wanted to use up the apples we picked back in October, but I didn't want to go the all-American apple pie route.  I wanted something caramel based, as it's a very popular flavor in Mexican cooking.  I couldn't find a specifically Mexican apple dessert, so I went with the caramel theme and picked tarte tatin.  I picked up Alice Waters' book the Art of Simple Food, and found this incredibly simple recipe.

Peel and core 8 or so apples, depending on their size.  You'll have to forgive me for being vague, as I didn't write down the recipe and the cookbook is in Hudson.  I'll update it if I get anything really wrong.

Make sure you use an apple that's going to hold up for cooking.  Mine, being a bit old, were a little soft, and broke down a bit too much during cooking.  Granny Smith, Cortland or Empire would be great here.

My usual Hudson sous chef Wenonah cored the apples after I peeled them.

Now it's time to make your caramel.  Don't be scared.  I know I was, but it really wasn't a big deal.  I used a cast iron skillet, which worked quite well.  You are going to assemble your tarte in the pan you cook the caramel, so make sure it can go in the oven.

In this cast iron skillet I think there are two tablespoons of butter and six tablespoons of sugar. 

Doesn't this look like a 2:6 ratio?

Sure.  That seems right.

Now cook that goodness over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon.

Cook and stir, cook and stir.  It will start to brown.  For this recipe we're going for "dark brown" which is very close to, but not quite "burned".  So be careful, and remember that when you turn off the heat, there will be some carry over cooking.  Don't be scared, but do keep an eye on it, and take it off the heat when it reaches this very nice color:

Arrange your apples, which have been cut in half, those halves cut in half to make four wedges out of each apple.  Make sure your bottom layer is nice and pretty, as that one will be on top.  Don't worry so much about the next layer, as long as the apples are pretty much evenly distributed.

Now, you cover it with your pastry.  You can use puff pastry, which would be super easy if you plan ahead.  Or if you fly by the seat of your pants like me, you can quickly make your own pastry.  We used my old standard, the all-butter pie crust, and it worked perfectly.

Roll it out on parchment paper into a round that will definitely cover your skillet.

Place the pastry on your apples:

And tuck in the edges.

Bake at 350˚ or maybe 375˚ (my memory fails me) for 30-45 minutes until the top is golden brown and delicious.

Let that cool for a few minutes (NOT 15 minutes, more like 3) and tip it over onto your serving plate.  There are no pictures of that process because it was a group effort including Michael to get the heavy cast iron skillet filled with hot apples and caramel out of the pan.  I highly reccomend having a tall dark and handsome man around for tasks like these.

Here's my tarte out of the pan:

I gave it a sprinkle of grey salt to give it some oomph.

Serve with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

I'm glad to have this one in my repertoire.  It really is a nice change from apple pie. 

I'll post the real recipe when I get back to Hudson on Wednesday. 

Stay tuned for A Player's First Officially Blogged Thanksgiving! 

It's gonna be fantastic.

Playing,
Meredith