Tarte Tatin by brianjwood

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Tarte Tatin
Submitted by brianjwood on August 09, 2002 at 10:34 am

DESCRIPTION
Tarte Tatin

SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under Pies

INSTRUCTIONS
If you have never eaten this, prepare to go to Heaven. From Mireille Johnston's French Cookery Course parts 1 & 2, by BBC Publications. Thoroughly recommended, two of my favourite cookbooks.
DESSERTS
LOIRE
TARTE TATIN
Warm caramelised apple upside-down tart
The two demoiselles Tatin who ran the Hotel Terminus in Lamotte-Beuvron
near the Loire river had both determination and imagination. One
version of the legend behind their famous tart is that one day, by mistake,
one of the sisters put the apples she had cooked for a tart into the dish
before she had lined it with pastry. Instead of tipping the apples out and
starting again, she put the pastry on top and inverted the tart after
cooking. The alternative story is that similar upside-down tarts had been
made for years throughout France but the sisters' version must have
been especially good and because their customers included many travell-
ers and people who were visiting the area for the excellent hunting, the
fame and reputation of their tart quickly spread. There is a rumour that
'Maxim's', the temple of chic cookery in Paris, sent a spy disguised as a
gardener to Lamotte-Beuvron to learn their 'secret'.
Nowadays, pears only or a mixture of pears, apples and sometimes
quinces often replace the plain apples used in the original recipe.
I have prepared this splendid tart many times and like to serve it
with well chilled, lightly sweetened whipped cream. Sometimes I add
chopped crystallised ginger, grated lemon rind, rum, Calvados, Cognac
or Grand Marnier to the cream.
Serves 6
FOR THE PASTRY 3 oz (75 g) unsalted butter
5 oz (150 g) plain flour 6 oz (175 g) sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons caster sugar juice 2 1emons
1 teaspoon salt finely grated rind 1 lemon
3 oz (75 g) butter, chilled
2 tablespoons vegetable oil TO SERVE
3-5 tablespoons cold water lightly sweetened whipped
cream, chilled
FOR THE FILLING
3 lb ( 1.5 kg) firm apples, such as
Granny Smith or l lb (450 g)
apples and 1 1/21b (750 g) ripe but firm Comice pears

Place the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Toss in the butter then rub into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Rapidly stir in the oil and cold water and press into a ball. Place on a floured work surface, then pressing the dough with the heel of your hand, push a little at a time away from you in a quick motion. When all the ingredients are well blended, gather the dough into a ball and knead for 30 second. Sprinkle with flour, wrap in cling film and place in the refrigerator for about 40 minutes to become firm.
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7, 425°F (220°C). Butter a 9 inch (23 cm) loose-bottomed cake tin.
For the filling, peel, core and quarter the apples. Heat the butter in a thick-bottomed frying-pan, add the sugar and stir with a wooden spoon for about 3 minutes until it bubbles and becomes golden. Pack the apples into the pan, sprinkle with lemon juice and lemon rind and cook over a high heat, for about 20 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the fruit is a rich golden colour, and rendered most of its juices. Transfer to the cake tin.
Remove the pastry from the refrigerator, place it on a floured work surface and beat it with a rolling pin if it is too hard to handle. Knead it for a few minutes then form into a ball. Place a rolling pin in the centre of the ball and roll back and forth firmly. Lift the dough, turn it once and continue rolling until you have a circle about 11 inches (28 cm) in diameter. Fold the dough back over the rolling pin, lift it carefully then unroll it over the cooked apples. Tuck the edge of the dough between the fruit and the side of the dish. With the tip of a knife cut a few holes in the dough so the steam can escape.
Place the tart in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until the pastry turns brown. Place a wide plate on top of the tart, hold the edges of the tin and the plate firmly together then quickly turn the tart upside down. Give a sharp punch on the bottom of the tin with the palm of your hand covered with an oven glove, and let the tart unmould itself slowly. Serve warm with the sweetened cream.
Note
A Tarte Tatin that has been cooked but not unmoulded can be reheated in an oven pre-heated to gas mark 5,375°F (190°C) for about 10 minutes. If it has been unmoulded, place it under a hot grill until the topping is bubbling and the fruit warm. Of course, neither will be as good as a freshly baked tart.

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