Tart Tatin

When I go to a restaurant I always look for two things in the dessert menu: lemon-meringue tart and Tart Tatin.

To find a good lemon-meringue pie is not that easy. In fact I can only think of one place that makes it really good: Café Leo in Geneva. Luckily, good Tart Tatin is easier to find. Any nice restaurant that offers tart tatin usually does a pretty good job. I am thinking of Randall&Aubin in London.

I specially like Tart Tatin during autumn and wintertime. Tart Tatin is such a comfort food. The warm apples with the “crème fraiche” is perfect for a dessert or with a hot tea.

Tart Tatin is an easy recipe to bake. You just need to make sure that the apples are the right variety and be careful with the hot caramel.

I hope you like the recipe!

Ingredients

Makes one 22 cm tart

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for pan

All-purpose flour, for dusting

½ Pate Brisee, chilled

1 cup sugar

Dash of lemon juice

2 to 3 medium baking apples, such as Granny Smith (about 500 gr), peeled, cored, and cut into quarters

Creme fraiche, for serving (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 220º. Generously butter a 22cm metal pie plate; set aside.On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 22 cm round, about 5mm thick. Place dough on the prepared baking sheet, and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, mix together the sugar, 2 tablespoons cold water, and the lemon juice to form a thick syrup. Bring to a boil over high heat, swirling pan; cook until the mixture turns medium amber, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, and pour the mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pie plate. Immediately add the butter, distributing evenly.

Arrange the apples, rounded sides down, around the bottom of the pan in a circular pattern, starting from the outside and working in, fitting them as close together as possible (the apples will be the top of the tart when served). Drape the chilled dough round over the apples to cover the mixture completely.

Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, line a rimmed baking sheet with a clean nonstick baking mat. Remove the tart from the oven, and immediately invert onto the mat, working quickly but carefully to avoid contact with the hot caramel. Using tongs, carefully lift the pie plate off of the tart. Transfer the sheet to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm with creme fraiche, if using.

Pate Brisee

Makes enough for 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 22 cm pies

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup ice water, plus more if needed

Directions

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt and combine. Add butter, and pulse until mixture looks like coarse crumbs, about 10 seconds.

With the machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream, just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of the dough together; if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. The dough can be frozen up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.