Рецепт A Trip to Paris and an Apple Tarte Tatin
It’s been a long time coming, but I’m finally going to Paris! I was supposed to go last year but my plans were unexpectedly thwarted. Now I’m packing my bags, trying to figure out which shoes to bring, researching what to see so I can squeeze every ounce I can out of ten days in my favourite city in the world.
The last time I was in Paris was six years ago, before I started this blog. Before I knew anywhere near as much about cooking. Before I had anything but a passing interest in photography. Things have changed a lot since then. Last time I was in Paris it was all about the Louvre, Eiffel Tower and Champs Elysees. This time it’s about eating and shooting my way through the best of its arrondissements. I have even booked a market tour and cooking demonstration at Le Cordon Bleu, which has been a dream of mine since I began working with the recipes of Julia Child, whose books have taught me more about cooking than anyone else’s.
To celebrate, I decided to make an apple tarte tatin, which is the pinnacle of French desserts, in my humble opinion. What could be more delicious than apples cooked in caramel and baked with a dome of puff pastry and served upside down with a dollop of whip cream? Apple tarte tatin truly belongs in the category of most heavenly desserts. It also belongs in the category of don’t try this at home, folks.
Just kidding! Seriously, do try this at home. But only if you have some understanding or experience working with caramel. Although tarte tatin has only four to five ingredients and should be as straightforward as any dessert can be, the process of caramelizing the apples can be a tricky one and has left me near tears on more than one occasion. That being said, I have managed to salvage pounds of apples and hours of apple peeling by throwing out caramel that refuses to caramelize, and started all over again. No harm, no foul.
In anticipation of disaster, I did copious research on the method behind this dessert before coming up with this recipe. I learned from Smitten Kitchen that one should baste the apples with the caramel and flip them around to make sure they cook evenly. She also says to sprinkle the apples with extra sugar and the lemon and set them aside for fifteen minutes and they will not let out lots of juice to water down the caramel. I didn’t notice any noticeable difference myself, so I began skipping this step. I also consulted one of my favourite tomes on cooking, the classic Larousse Gastronomique, for information on the process of cooking caramel–although there is a ton on the Internet, for sure but it’s my go-to source for all things French and culinary. Finally, I enjoyed this article from The Guardian, which compares a variety of apple tarte tatin recipes and methods–including the one from Larousse. This is the recipe that I came up with and that works for me in my kitchen. It ended up pretty quick and simple–except for all that tendonitis-provoking dang apple peeling. And totally worth it, if I say so myself.
Salted Caramel Apple Tarte Tatin
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 9-10 Gala or Golden Delicious apples, peeled and cored, cut into halves
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup / 125g butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Dust a board with flour and roll out puff pastry. Turn a 9-inch cast iron skillet upside down on the puff pastry sheet and cut around the circle edge of the pan with a sharp knife to get a round shape from the dough. Dust a plate with flour and place the circle of dough onto the plate and cover it with parchment or plastic wrap. Place in fridge.
2) Peel and core apples and cut into half; toss with lemon juice. Melt butter in the cast iron skillet over high heat. Sprinkle with sugar and salt and whisk until it is a pale caramel colour. Take off the heat and arrange apples in a concentric circle in the pan, placing 4-5 halves in the centre, tilting them slightly and packing them in the pan; they will shrink while cooking.
3) Cook over medium-high heat until sugar and butter thicken slightly and turn a deep caramel; turn the apples over as they begin to release their juices to ensure even cooking, occasionally basting with the caramel with a spoon. This will take about 25 minutes.
4) Take off the stove and cover apples with the dome of puff pastry, tucking it in all along the sides. Place in oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden.
5) Allow to cool on a rackfor about 10-15 minutes. Place a plate over the top off the pan holding potholders and invert by flipping upside down quickly. Cut into wedges and serve with whip cream or ice cream.