The World Famous Tarte Tatin Food

TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Peel and core the apples, then cut them into quarters.
• Spread the butter on the bottom of a 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet. Mix the sugar, salt and vanilla together to evenly distribute the caviar. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the butter. Squeeze over the lemon juice.
• Place the apple quarters cut-side up on top. Remember, the bottom will become the top so make it look pretty. Put the pan over medium heat and cook until the sugar melts, caramelizes and begins to thicken. The apples will release their juices during this process, so it could take 10 to 15 minutes. If the juices start getting too dark, lower the heat a little.
• While the apples are cooking, take the puff pastry out of the fridge. Use a knife to cut a circle just big enough to fit over the top of the apples in the skillet. Keep chilled.
• When the sugar has caramelized, place the pastry circle over the apples, gently tucking in the sides. Transfer to the oven and bake until the pastry is risen and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes.
• Carefully turn the tarte tatin out onto a serving plate. Serve with whipped cream.

TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Coarsely grate 2 sticks (1 cup) of the butter on the large holes of a box grater onto one of the prepared baking sheets. Toss the butter with a sprinkle of flour and arrange the butter in an even layer on the prepared sheet. Freeze until rock solid, about 30 minutes.
• Whisk together the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Fold in the frozen butter pieces. Slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup ice water, whisking with a fork until small pieces form and the dough just starts to come together, being careful not to overwork it. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out into a 12-by-1/4-inch-thick circle. Transfer to the other prepared baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, peel, core and halve the apples. Cut all but one of the apple halves in half again. Put the lemon juice in a large bowl and toss the apple pieces with the lemon juice; set aside. Cut the remaining 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter into small cubes; set aside.
• Sprinkle the sugar over the bottom of a large ovenproof skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until melted and amber brown, about 6 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and whisk in the cubed butter until melted and smooth (the sugar will start to bubble as the butter cools it down).
• Place the apple half in the center of the skillet rounded-side down. Arrange the remaining apple quarters rounded-side down in a tight circle around the center apple, making sure there is as little space between the apples as possible (any space left between apples will cause the tart to collapse when flipped out of the skillet).
• Place the pastry round on top and carefully tuck the edges down around the apples. Poke the pastry all over with a fork. Bake until the apples are cooked through and the pastry is golden brown, about 1 hour. Let cool for 5 minutes in the skillet; any longer will cause the caramel to harden and make it very hard to get the tart out of the skillet. Place a serving dish or cake stand upside down on top of the skillet. Using oven mitts, carefully flip the skillet over to invert the tart onto the serving dish. Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream.

TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Tarte Tatin Peel the apples, cut in quarters, remove the cores (cutting each quarter at the core so it has a flat side), and toss the quarters in a large bowl with the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Let rest for 1/2 hour.
• Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a round, 10" cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cover with the remaining cup of sugar, sprinkled over the butter in an even layer. Add the apple quarters to the pan, arranging them in a decorative pattern, rounded side down. Top the apples with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, cut into little bits.
• Cook the apples over medium heat for approximately 40 minutes, occasionally spooning the bubbling liquid over the apples. This part of the recipe takes almost constant surveillance. In a few minutes, you will begin to see brown caramel bubbling up in the part of the pan over direct heat. Immediately shift the pan so that other non-browned parts go over the direct heat. Over 40 minutes, you may have to shift the pan a dozen times or more to get things evenly browned. The apples are ready when the liquid in the pan has turned to a thick dark-tan ooze. The apples should still be slightly resilient. Do not allow the apples to get entirely soft, or the liquid to turn dark brown. This part of the tarte tatin can be prepared hours in advance, or you can proceed immediately with the recipe.
• Pre-heat an oven to 375 degrees.
• Flour a work surface and place the sheet of puff pastry on it. Roll out the pastry until it is slightly larger than the interior of the apple pan. Lay it over the apples, tucking any protruding edges under the apples in the pan. Place the apple pan in the oven and cook for approximately 30 minutes, or until the puff pastry has risen and cooked. The pastry should be dry and flaky inside. Remove from the oven, and let the tarte rest for a few minutes. Place a large, round platter over the tarte and flip it over, releasing the tarte from the pan. The browned apples will be on top, the pastry on the bottom. Serve hot, if desired. You can also serve this tarte warm--my preference--about one hour after cooking. You can also serve it room temperature, or cold. Serve with Vanilla Creme Fraiche, if desired.
• Vanilla Creme Fraiche
• Blend ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Pour along tarte tatin.

PEAR TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• For the crust: Combine the butter, flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest in a food processor and pulse until it looks like finely grated Parmigiano. Add the egg yolk and 1 to 2 tablespoons of the ice water. Pulse, pulse, pulse until the mixture comes together. If it seems a bit dry, add a little more water and pulse, pulse, pulse until the mixture comes together into a ball. Dump the whole thing out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the mixture only enough to make it a smooth ball, 1 or 2 times. Using a rolling pin or your fingers, roll or press the dough out into an even circle 11 to 12 inches in diameter. Transfer to a cookie sheet lined with plastic wrap and enclose the dough in plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight.
• For the filling: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place the sugar, apple cider, lemon juice and vanilla bean seeds in a 10-inch nonstick ovenproof pan and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, brushing down the sides of the pan occasionally with a pastry brush dipped in water, if necessary. Cook, swishing the pan around gently to promote even cooking, until the mixture turns light brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Continue to cook the mixture until it becomes a much deeper amber color, another minute or so. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, 2 pats at a time. The mixture will bubble up. That is okay, just be VERY CAREFUL not to get any of this on you. When all of the butter has been incorporated, begin to arrange the pears rounded-side down in circles. Try to do this neatly and in a pretty way. Remember, the bottom will be the top!
• Return the pan to the burner and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, then remove from the heat.
• Retrieve the chilled pastry and place it on top of the pears. Tuck the pastry in around the edges of the pan. Bake until the dough is golden brown and crispy, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the tart cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Place a serving platter upside down on top of the pastry and CAREFULLY flip the platter and the pan over. Let the tart fall gently out of the pan.
• Slice tart into pieces and garnish with a dollop of sweetened mascarpone.

TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Roll the pastry to a 3mm-thick round on a lightly floured surface and cut a 24cm circle, using a plate as a guide. Lightly prick all over with a fork, place on a baking sheet, then cover and freeze while preparing the apples.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Peel, quarter and core the apples. Put the sugar in a flameproof 20cm ceramic tatin dish or a 20cm ovenproof heavy-based frying pan and place over a medium-high heat. Cook the sugar for 5-7 mins to a dark amber caramel syrup that's starting to smoke, then turn off the heat and stir in the 60g diced chilled butter.
• To assemble the tarte tatin, arrange the apple quarters very tightly in a circle around the edge of the dish first, rounded-side down, then fill in the middle in a similar fashion. Gently press with your hands to ensure there are no gaps. Brush the fruit with the melted butter.
• Bake in the oven for 30 mins, then remove and place the disc of frozen puff pastry on top - it will quickly defrost. Tuck the edges down the inside of the dish and, with a knife, prick a few holes in the pastry to allow steam to escape. Bake for a further 40-45 mins until the pastry is golden brown and crisp.
• Allow to cool to room temperature for 1 hr before running a knife around the edge of the dish and inverting it onto a large serving plate that is deep enough to contain the juices. Serve with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.