TARTE TATIN

AMAZING DELICIOUS!

I love all kind of apple desert. Strudel is the one that I grew up with and I use different dough, different apples, different recipes and shapes.

I was looking in internet for something new with apple and dough, easy, a desert that is not too much sugar, but has a lot of apples, and very little dough. I came upon TART TATIN. It is really an upside down apple cake, but has a twist (compare to my “apricot upside down cake”) and has a lot of legends, stories, and funny ads on, numerous pages in internet about this tart.

The most consistent story is that this tart was invented by TATIN sisters, who were running an inn on LOIRE Valley, France. During the revolution they were flirting with lots of solders, cooking, eating and laughing in the same time.

One version is that flirting too much, they let fell the unfinished pie, on the table, and they save the day by reversing the tart and bake it as it is;

Another version is that speaking, flirting and laughing too much they baked the tart forgetting to add the upper dough piece.

This tart is a very easy desert; there are many simple, short steps in between baking and preparing the apple. This is why they say (they are FRENCH!!!) you should flirt in between steps!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarte_Tatin

Ingredients:

 One sheet frozen puff pastry;

 6-8 small apples, (McIntosh OR Granny Smith), peeled, halved and cored;

 Unsalted butter, (one stick);

 Sugar, one cup;

 Half cup walnuts;

Half cup raisins;

Some cinnamon (as much as you like);

Directions:

-Melt the butter in a saucepan, add one cup of sugar and caramelize it, to be light brown.

            MY NOTE: Caramelized sugar is very, very hot, pay a lot of attention, when handling it!

 

-

Pour hot caramelized sugar and butter sauce, on an oven-proof pan.

- Add halved apple round side down, walnuts, raisins and cinnamon.

- Put in the oven for 30 minutes at 350F. The apple will be soft and the caramelized sauce will be liquid.

- Add the puff pastry sheet, cold, from the refrigerator, on top of the apple, and turn back to the oven, 400F,

      for 20 minutes, when the puff pastry dough is well raised and brown.

- Adding a big plate over the pan, you will reverse the apple and caramelized sauce, over the upside-down apple cake!

             MY NOTE:

             1. One should turn the pan over a plate a while after being taken from the oven,  for the whole caramelized sauce will bring all the juice and sweet and buttery on top of the apple and puff pastry.