serves
6
prep
1:30 hour
cook
1:20 hour
difficulty
Mid
serves
6
people
preparation
1:30
hour
cooking
1:20
hour
difficulty
Mid
level
"This is a sticky, sweet and pretty damn decadent dessert that can stand up to quite an intense dessert wine. You want to make sure that the wine has good balance, which means plenty of natural acid to keep the sugar in check. This helps give the wine a really clean and refreshing finish; great when you think of that rich pastry and caramel combo. You can reach for a botrytis wine (usually Riesling or Semillon), which means the grapes have been shrivelled and concentrated in the vineyard, so the sweetness is intensified. Try a Hunter Valley Semillon like this one from Glenguin – a great little producer based in Broke Fordwich." - Dan Coward
Ingredients
Crust
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1⅔ cup plain flour
- 110 g butter (chilled)
- 2 large-sized eggs
Tarte tatin
- 6 apples (preferably Granny Smiths)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 50 g granulated caster sugar
- 50 g cassonade sugar
- 200 g butter, room temperature
Drink match Glenguin The Sticky Botrytised Semillon 2009, Hunter Valley, NSW
Instructions
To make the crust, mix the salt, sugar and flour.
Cut the chilled butter into small pieces and mix into the flour with fingertips. Stop working the batter once it looks like "sand".
Make a well and pour in the eggs. Incorporate into the flour using your fingers and a spatula. Once homogenous, form a ball, place on a well-floured surface and knead for 10 seconds. Reshape into a ball, roll out with a rolling pin, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Peel the apples and lightly coat with lemon juice, so that they don't brown.
Using a 28 cm frying pan that is suitable to use in the oven, add the caster sugar, cassonade sugar and 3 tablespoons of water. Melt the sugar into the water over a very low heat. Once melted, increase the heat. Do not stir, but tilt the pan and move it around to create an even caramelisation. Continue until the syrup is a pale honey colour. (If you want a darker caramel be careful that you don't let it burn.) Add the butter to the caramel and stir until it melts. Turn off the heat.
Cut the apples into halves and core them. Carefully place the apples in your pan cut side up, so that they are squeezed tightly together. This step should be completed as quickly as possible, so that the caramel does not solidify.
Place the pan with the apples into the oven, and bake for 30–40 minutes.
Meanwhile, roll out the crust so that it is slightly larger than the circumference of your pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven, and allow the apples to cool. Once cooled, place the crust on top. Tuck the edges into the pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry has browned.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Once cool, gently place a serving dish on top of the tarte tatin and carefully flip the tarte tatin over, so that the apples are facing up.
Traditionally, tarte tatin recipes are served warm with crème fraéche on the side. If you cannot find crème fraéche, just add a little sugar to some sour cream. If you want, you can also serve with vanilla ice-cream.
Note
• You can make your tarte tatin ahead of time. Simply warm it up just before serving. You can serve it cold, but it does lose some of its charm.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
"This is a sticky, sweet and pretty damn decadent dessert that can stand up to quite an intense dessert wine. You want to make sure that the wine has good balance, which means plenty of natural acid to keep the sugar in check. This helps give the wine a really clean and refreshing finish; great when you think of that rich pastry and caramel combo. You can reach for a botrytis wine (usually Riesling or Semillon), which means the grapes have been shrivelled and concentrated in the vineyard, so the sweetness is intensified. Try a Hunter Valley Semillon like this one from Glenguin – a great little producer based in Broke Fordwich." - Dan Coward
