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October 2008
Upsidedown Caramelized Apple Tart
Tarte des Demoiselles Tatin
photo by France Ruffenach
In the
mid-19th century, the story goes, the demoiselles Tatin were left
penniless when their father died. Luckily they lived just opposite
the new railroad station at Lamotte Beuvron, a small town south of
Orléans. So they took in travelers and baked the crusty dark apple
tart their father had loved so much. Fortune smiled; the Hotel
Tatin is there to this day, still serving a remarkable tart topped
with chunks of slightly singed caramelized apple baked in a wood
fired oven.
The
apples for Tarte Tatin must be firm and hold their shape during
long cooking. I’d suggest Pink Lady or Golden Delicious, but there
are many other suitable varieties. To ensure the all-important
dark caramel, my Tatin is cooked first on top of the stove,
patiently, so apple halves get thoroughly drenched in the buttery
caramel. Once the apples are tender and mahogany-colored, I cover
them with a simple Pâte Brisée and finish the tart in the oven.
The tart is best turned out and served when it’s tepid, and it’s
hard to beat the classic accompaniment of crème fraîche, though a
scoop of vanilla ice cream also does nicely.
There is
even a special pan for baking Tarte Tatin, a resplendent round of
solid copper lined with tin, the sides sloping and high enough to
contain the abundant juices the apples release as they simmer in
the caramel. You’ll find a Tatin pan easily enough in a kitchen
equipment store—at a price. Be reassured that a deep frying pan,
preferably nonstick, with a heat-proof handle, will perform just
as well. A cast iron skillet, ideal in shape and thickness for
Tatin, tends to react with acid fruits, so the tart must be turned
out immediately after baking.
Serves 8
to 10
-
About
5 pounds/2 to 2.5 kilograms firm apples
-
1/2
cup/110 grams/4 ounces butter
-
1 1/2
cups/300 grams/11 ounces sugar
Pâte brisée
-
1 2/3 cups/200 grams/7 ounces flour
-
6
tablespoons/90 grams/3 ounces butter
-
1 egg
yolk
-
3/4
teaspoon salt
-
3
tablespoons/45 milliliters/1 1/2 fluid ounces water, more if
needed
-
10- to
11-inch/26- to 28-centimeter Tatin mold; melon baller
To make
the pâte brisée, sift the flour onto a work surface and make a
well in the center. Put egg yolk, salt, and water in the well with
flavorings such as sugar. Pound the butter with a rolling pin to
soften it, add it to the well, and work the ingredients in the
well with the fingers of one hand until thoroughly mixed. Using a
pastry scraper, gradually draw in the flour from the sides of the
well and continue working with both hands until coarse crumbs
form. If the crumbs seem dry, sprinkle with another tablespoon of
water; the crumbs should be soft but not sticky. Press the dough
gently together into a ball; it will be uneven and unblended at
this point.
To blend
(fraiser) the dough, sprinkle the counter with flour and
put the dough on it. With the heel of your hand, push the dough
away from you, flattening it against the counter. Gather it up,
press it into a rough ball, and flatten it again. This flattening
motion evenly blends the butter with the other ingredients without
overworking the dough. Work quickly so the butter doesn’t get too
warm. Continue until the dough is as pliable as putty and pulls
away from the counter in one piece, 1 to 2 minutes. Shape it into
a ball, wrap, and chill until firm, 15 to 30 minutes.
Peel and
halve the apples; scoop out the cores with a melon baller. Melt
the butter in the mold, sprinkle in the sugar and cook over medium
heat without stirring until it starts to brown and caramelize.
Stir gently, then continue cooking until the caramel is deep
golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes total. Let it cool in the pan for 3
to 5 minutes—the butter will separate but this does not matter.
Arrange
the apples in the mold in concentric circles with the cut sides
standing vertical—the caramel will help to anchor them. Pack them
as tightly as possible as they will shrink during cooking. Cook
the apples over medium heat until the juice starts to run, about 8
minutes, then raise the heat and cook them as fast as possible
until the underside is caramelized to deep golden and most of the
juice has evaporated, l5 to 25 minutes. With a two-pronged fork,
turn the apples one by one so the upper sides are now down in the
caramel. Continue cooking until this second side is brown also and
almost all the juice has evaporated, l0 to 20 minutes more. The
time will vary very much with the variety and ripeness of the
apples, and can take up to an hour in total. Let them cool to
tepid while heating the oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6.
Roll the
pastry dough to a round just larger than the mold. Wrap the dough
around the rolling pin and transfer it to cover the apples. Tuck
the edges down around the apples, working quickly so their warmth
does not melt the dough. Poke a hole in the center to allow steam
to escape. Bake the tart until the pastry is firm and lightly
browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Take the tart from the oven and let it
cool for at least l0 minutes, or until tepid. Tarte Tatin can be
made up to 12 hours ahead and kept in the mold in the refrigerator
(if using a skillet, the tart must be turned out immediately).
To finish, if
necessary, warm the tart in the mold on the stove or in the oven
before you turn it out: this softens the caramel and loosens the
apples. Select a flat platter with a lip to catch any juices; set
the platter on top of the tart pan and flip the tart onto the
platter. Be careful because you can be splashed with hot juice.
Cut into wedges to serve.
Excerpted from THE COUNTRY COOKING OF FRANCE
by Anne Willan, Chronicle Books, 2007.
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