One of the most beloved puddings to exist, the tarte tatin was actually created by accident in the 1880’s and what a delicious accident it was.
It was bought about at Hotel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron, France and it’s commonly thought that Stéphanie Tatin, who did most of the cooking was, in a state of stress, left her apple pie cooking and at the smell of burning decided to rescue it with the addition of pastry.
Since then on, it has been loved all over the world and has even graced the menu of the Michelin starred Galvin La Chapelle restaurant in London for years. Here the legendary Galvin brothers provide the most delicious recipe so you can recreate at home.
Ingredients:
For the tarte tatin:
7 Braeburn apples, peeled, halved and cored
120g of puff pastry
110g of softened salted butter
130g of caster sugar
For the crème Normande:
120ml of crème fraiche
40g of icing sugar
1 ½ tbsp of Calvados
Method:
Begin by preparing the base of your tart. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 21cm round. Using a fork, prick the pastry all over then leave in the fridge to rest for 40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3.
In a 20cm ovenproof frying pan – or tarte tatin mould, if you have one – spread the softened butter in an even layer, followed by the caster sugar. Arrange the apple pieces over the sugar, standing on their sides, with two halves lying flat in the centre of the dish.
Remove the pastry round from the fridge and lay it carefully over the arranged apple halves, tucking any overhanging pastry edges down the sides of the pan. Place the pan on the hob and caramelise the sugar over a medium heat for approximately 10 minutes, before transferring to the preheated oven. Bake for 90 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the crème Normande. Combine the crème fraiche, icing sugar and Calvados together in a bowl and mix well. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
Remove the tarte tatin from the oven and leave to cool for at least 30 minutes, before turning out onto a chopping board. Cut into 4 portions and serve with a generous spoonful of the crème Normande.
Tarte tatin is available from Galvin at The Athenaeum.
