TARTE TATINPastry320g/11oz Plain Flour
225g/8oz ice cold Butter
110g/4oz Icing Sugar
3 Egg Yolks
Filling6 Cox or 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 8-12 wedges
Quarter of a Lemon
110g/4oz Butter
110g/4oz Caster Sugar
1) Preheat oven to 250C/500F/Gas 9
2) Make Pastry:- In food processor, mix flour, butter and icing sugar until they resemble breadcrumbs. Add egg yolks and 'pulse' until mix comes together in a dough.
3) Remove dough from bowl and divide into two pieces. Wrap in cling-film and put into freezer to chill for at least an hour.
4) Filling:- Place apple wedges in a bowl, squeeze lemon juice over them and toss gently.
5) Sprinkle 85g/3oz of the sugar in heavy-bottomed pan and place on the hob over medium heat, turning the pan frequently and making sure sugar does not burn. Allow sugar to caramelise a little and become a pale golden brown, then remove from heat and arrange drained apple pieces in one layer over bottom of the pan.
6) Place the pan in the oven and bake until apples have softened a bit and started to release some of their juice - about 10 mins.
7) Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining sugar and dot the butter on top. Remove pastry from freezer and using coarse side of a cheese grater, grate the pastry with long steady strokes over the apples until it forms an even layer at least 2.5cm / 1 inch thick. DO NOT PRESS DOWN. Return pan to oven, turn heat down to 220C/425F/Gas 7 and bake until pastry is golden brown - about 20 mins. Remove from oven and leave to rest for 2 minutes.
Take heatproof serving dish that is generously larger than the pan on all sides and place over pan. Protecting your hands with a dry folded tea-towel and holding the dish and pan firmly together, quickly and carefully flip the pan and the dish so that the pan is on top. Tap pan sharply a few times all round with wooden-spoon, then lift off. The tart should be left on the serving dish with apple on top.
9) Serve warm with double cream, creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream.
Seems a long winded faff but is well worth it -
Note: as the pastry is frozen in 2 parts, do half quantity of the filling, use one portion of pastry and save the 2nd portion for another day - we do this as this recipe feeds 8-10 people.
Bon Appetite !
