Caveat: This was my very first and it was very experimental and not totally successful although very delicious. So try it my way at your own risk. Or follow the original version exactly, but I can't vouce for how that will turn out. Kate TARTE TATIN Crust: 2 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons sugar 2 sticks (1 cup) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 1/2 cup cold ice water Put flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Add pieces of butter and process until mixture looks like a coarse meal. Add the water, just a small amount at a time, until the dough holds together without being too sticky. If the dough is crumbly, add a little more water. Put the dough into the plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Tart: 1 1/2 cups sugar 8 tablespoons water 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces 14 med. apples, cut into quarters, peeled, and cored 2 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon cloves Preheat oven to 375F. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and cloves together and set aside. In a 12" cast iron or non-stick skillet (must be oven-proof) combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until it turns amber colored. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Arrange the apples decoratively in the skillet on top of the caramelized sugar with the cut sides up. After you have covered the skillet with one layer of apples, sprinkle them with half of the cinnamon/clove sugar. Add another layer of apples and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon/clove sugar. Return the skillet to the stove and cook over low heat for ten minutes. Be careful not to burn the caramelized sugar. Remove from the heat and let cool. Roll out the pie crust to a thickness of about 1/8"-1/4" and place it over the apples. Trim the edges. Bake the tart for about 30-35 minutes, until the apples are no longer hard (but not mushy), and the crust is golden brown. Let cool and flip onto a platter. Serve warm. ("Tarte Tatin is a really fruity upside-down tart. This is one of our favorite desserts. I usually use Granny Smith apples, but you can also use peaches or pears. I love making this dessert with my children Elizabeth, Johnny, Daniel, Sarah Maria, Peter and Patrick." by Karen Garver Santorum) (I got this recipe off the 1st Traveler's (sic) Choice web site. It is US Senator Rick Santorum from PA's wife's recipe.) Notes: I only used this recipe for a very basic guideline. I changed lots of things. I consulted a number of different recipes and sort of blended them. My version was very tasty but didn't come out as I would have liked. So be aware! First off. I didn't make the pastry - I used Pepperidge Farm puff pastry. Also, this recipe doesn't say what kind of apples to use. Other recipes recommended various apple varieties - Braeburn, Granny Smith, and others. I used McIntosh because that's my favorite apple - in fact I don't actually care that much for any other apple. So, the McIntosh may have been part of the problem as the tarte was way too juicy - delicious, but too juicy. I used 8 large apples instead of 14 medium. Also, I didn't use all the sugar-spice mixture. First I reduced the amount of cinnamon to 1 tablespoon and cloves to ¼ teaspoon. I kept the sugar the same. And when it came time to sprinkle the mixture on the apples I decided I didn't need all of it and only used about half of it. I don't care for too heavily spiced apple dishes. I think it turned out perfect the way I did it. Just the right amount of spice. I didn't have an oven-proof skillet so I made the caramel as directed in my teflon skillet and then poured it into the baking pan. For baking the tart I used the 12" cake pan from my tiered wedding cake set and lined it with heavy-duty foil. Since it was metal I could put it on the burner, after arranging the apples, as directed. For the crust I rolled out one sheet of the puff pastry to the size needed to cover the pan and a little extra to tuck down the sides. I baked as directed. Note that many of the other recipes I consulted said that you could make the tart several hours ahead and then rewarm it in the oven for serving. I did it that way and wonder if that could have contributed to the over-juicy-ness. I think in the future I would stop at the point of cooking the apples on the stove top and then add the crust and bake just before serving. (I like a nice long interval between dinner and dessert anyway.) Several of my guests were not dessert eaters so I had most of it left over, which was fine with me, and despite the fact that it was too juicy, the crust didn't get as soggy as I had feared. I was delicious warmed up slightly in the microwave. -- Kate Connally “If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.” Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back, Until you bite their heads off.” What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about? mailto:[email protected]
