Julia Childs 1994 Tarte Tatin Food

APPLE TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Peel and core the apples, then slice them. I used my hand-dandy OXO Good Grips Apple Divider for this.
• Toss the apples into a bowl with the lemon juice and 1/2 a cup of sugar. Toss well, then allow to sit for 20 minutes.
• While the apples are macerating, you can start on the caramel. I used my old cast-iron frying pan for this. You need to use a frying pan that go into the oven, so no wooden or plastic handles. Melt the butter over medium-high heat, and then add the remaining cup of sugar. Keep stirring and working the caramel until the sugar is all melted into the butter, and then keep working it until it is... well... caramel in colour. Mine was a bit thick, and felt a little grainy, so I added a tablespoon of water here and there until I felt it achieved the right syrupy consistency. You have to really babysit the caramel so that it doesn't burn, but if you stir it constantly, it may take a long time to cook, so you can leave it for a moment or two at a time, then go back to stirring it. Don't check your email, though. This should take about 15-20 minutes. Once the caramel has achieved perfection, take it off the stove and let it cool a little.
• Drain the apples. Arrange the apples in a circular pattern on top of the caramel. You should have enough for two layers of apples.
• Return the pan to the heat, and allow the caramel to cook around the apples. Cover after 10 minutes, and allow to cook for about 10-15 minutes more. Every few minutes or so, push the apples down into the caramel with a spoon, squishing the juices from the apples out and allowing them to mingle with the caramel. After about 20-25 minutes, the caramel will be thickened, and the apples will be cooked down. Remove from heat.
• Cover the apples with your pastry (cut in a circle), and tuck it under the apples on the edges of the pan if possible. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for an additional 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden.
• Remove from the oven, and allow to cool so it is handleable. Place a large plate on top of the frying pan, and carefully flip it. The tarte tatin should now be crust-side down on the plate. Slice and serve with whipping cream or ice cream.

TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, place the flours, sugar and butter. Pulse 5 or 6 times in 1/2-second bursts to break up the butter. Add the shortening, turn on the machine and immediately add the ice water, pulsing 2 or 3 times. The dough should look like a mass of smallish lumps and should just hold together in a mass when a handful is pressed together. If the mixture is too dry, pulse in more water by droplets.
• Turn the dough out onto the work surface and with the heel of your hand, rapidly and roughly push egg-size blobs into a 6-inch smear. Gather the dough into a relatively smooth cake, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).
• Slice the halved apples into 4 lengthwise wedges each, and toss in a large bowl with the lemon juice and zest and 1/2 cup sugar. Drain the apples after macerating 20 minutes.
• In a 9-inch skillet melt the butter over high heat. Stir in the remaining sugar and cook until the syrup bubbles and caramelizes, and turns a brown color. Remove the pan from the heat and arrange a layer of apple slices in a neat pattern on the caramel in the skillet, then arrange the remaining apples neatly on top.
• Return the pan to moderately high heat and cook for about 25 minutes, covering the pan after 10 minutes. Every few minutes press down on the apples and baste them with the exuded juices. When the juices are thick and syrupy, remove the pan from the heat.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a circle, 3/16-inch thick and 1-inch larger than the top of the pan. Drape the dough over the apples, pressing the edge of the dough between the apples and the inside of the pan. Cut 4 small steam holes on the top of the dough. Bake until the pastry has browned and crisped, about 20 minutes.
• Unmold the tart onto a serving dish (so the pastry is on the bottom), and serve warm or cold with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, as desired.

JULIA CHILD'S 1994 TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Quarter, core, and peel the apples; cut the quarters in half lengthwise. Toss in a bowl with the lemon and 1/2 cup of sugar. Steep 20 minutes, and drain juices. Set the frying pan over moderately high heat with the butter, and when melted blend in the remaining [1 cup] sugar. Stir about with a wooden spoon for several minutes, until the syrup turns a bubbly caramel brown. Remove from heat and arrange a layer of apple slices nicely in the bottom of the pan. Arrange the rest of the apples on top so they are 1 inch higher than the rim of the pan, close packed and only reasonably neat. Preliminary stove-top cooking - 20 to 25 minutes. (Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F for the next step, placing the rack in the lower middle level.) Set the pan again over moderately high heat, pressing the apples down as they soften, and drawing the accumulated juices up over them with the bulb baster. In several minutes, when the apples begin to soften, cover the pan and continue cooking 10 to 15 minutes, checking and basting frequently until the juices are thick and syrupy. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly while you roll out the dough. Roll the chilled dough into a circle 3/16 inch thick and 1 inch larger than the top of your pan. Cut 4 steam holes, 1/4-inch size, 1 1/2 inches from around the center of the dough. Working rapidly, fold the dough in half, then in quarters; center the point over the apples. Unfold the dough over the apples. Press the edges of the dough down between the apples and the inside of the pan. Bake about 20 minutes at 425 degrees F, until the pastry has browned and crisped. Remove from the oven, and tilt. If the juices are runny rather than a thick syrup, boil down rapidly on top on the stove, but be sure not to evaporate them completely or the apples will stick to the pan. Turn the serving dish upside down over the apples and reverse the two to unmold the tart.