Upside-down Caramelized Apple Tart
Tartes des Demoiselles Tatin
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In the mid-19th century, the story goes, the demoiselles Tatin were
left penniless when their father died. Luckily they lived just
opposite the new railroad station at Lamotte Beuvron, a small town
south of Orléans. So they took in travelers and baked the crusty dark
apple tart their father had loved so much. Fortune smiled; the Hotel
Tatin is there to this day, still serving a remarkable tart topped
with chunks of slightly singed caramelized apple baked in a wood fired
oven.
Ingredients
About 5 pounds/2 to 2.5 kilograms firm apples
1/2 cup/110 grams/4 ounces butter
1-1/2 cups/300 grams/11 ounces sugar
10- to 11-inch/26- to 28-centimeter Tatin mold; melon baller
[Strong]Pâte brisée
1-2/3 cups/200 grams/7 ounces flour
6 tablespoons/90 grams/3 ounces butter
1 egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons/45 milliliters/1-1/2 fluid ounces water, more if needed
Preparation
To make the pâte brisée, sift the flour onto a work surface and make a
well in the center. Put egg yolk, salt, and water in the well with
flavorings such as sugar. Pound the butter with a rolling pin to
soften it, add it to the well, and work the ingredients in the well
with the fingers of one hand until thoroughly mixed. Using a pastry
scraper, gradually draw in the flour from the sides of the well and
continue working with both hands until coarse crumbs form. If the
crumbs seem dry, sprinkle with another tablespoon of water; the crumbs
should be soft but not sticky. Press the dough gently together into a
ball; it will be uneven and unblended at this point.
To blend (fraiser) the dough, sprinkle the counter with flour and put
the dough on it. With the heel of your hand, push the dough away from
you, flattening it against the counter. Gather it up, press it into a
rough ball, and flatten it again. This flattening motion evenly blends
the butter with the other ingredients without overworking the dough.
Work quickly so the butter doesn't get too warm. Continue until the
dough is as pliable as putty and pulls away from the counter in one
piece, 1 to 2 minutes. Shape it into a ball, wrap, and chill until
firm, 15 to 30 minutes.
Peel and halve the apples; scoop out the cores with a melon baller.
Melt the butter in the mold, sprinkle in the sugar and cook over
medium heat without stirring until it starts to brown and caramelize.
Stir gently, then continue cooking until the caramel is deep golden
brown, 6 to 8 minutes total. Let it cool in the pan for 3 to 5
minutes—the butter will separate but this does not matter.
Arrange the apples in the mold in concentric circles with the cut
sides standing vertical—the caramel will help to anchor them. Pack
them as tightly as possible as they will shrink during cooking. Cook
the apples over medium heat until the juice starts to run, about 8
minutes, then raise the heat and cook them as fast as possible until
the underside is caramelized to deep golden and most of the juice has
eva****ated, l5 to 25 minutes. With a two-pronged fork, turn the apples
one by one so the upper sides are now down in the caramel. Continue
cooking until this second side is brown also and almost all the juice
has eva****ated, l0 to 20 minutes more. The time will vary very much
with the variety and ripeness of the apples, and can take up to an
hour in total. Let them cool to tepid while heating the oven to
400°F/200°C/Gas 6.
Roll the pastry dough to a round just larger than the mold. Wrap the
dough around the rolling pin and transfer it to cover the apples. Tuck
the edges down around the apples, working quickly so their warmth does
not melt the dough. Poke a hole in the center to allow steam to
escape. Bake the tart until the pastry is firm and lightly browned, 20
to 25 minutes. Take the tart from the oven and let it cool for at
least l0 minutes, or until tepid. Tarte Tatin can be made up to 12
hours ahead and kept in the mold in the refrigerator (if using a
skillet, the tart must be turned out immediately).
To finish, if necessary, warm the tart in the mold on the stove or in
the oven before you turn it out: this softens the caramel and loosens
the apples. Select a flat platter with a lip to catch any juices; set
the platter on top of the tart pan and flip the tart onto the platter.
Be careful because you can be splashed with hot juice. Cut into wedges
to serve.
Source: The Country Cooking of France, by Anne Willan
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