Tarte Tatin - Anyone Done This?

thebtls

I've been looking at some new Emile Henry Flameware and they have a tarte tatin available. In reviewing the recipies it looks amazing...anyone eggin with this device or cooking tarte tatin with something else? The basic TT by the way is a apple pie kind of dish with the crust cooked last and on top....google it.

From the Internet: Tarte Tatin (French pronunciation: [taʁt taˈtɛ̃]) is an upside-down apple tart in which the apples are caramelized in butter and sugar before the tart is baked.

Tradition says that the Tarte Tatin was first created by accident at the Hotel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron, France in 1898. The hotel was run by two sisters, Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin. There are conflicting stories concerning the tart's origin, but the predominant one is that Stéphanie Tatin, who did most of the cooking, was overworked one day. She started to make a traditional apple pie but left the apples cooking in butter and sugar for too long. Smelling the burning, she tried to rescue the dish by putting the pastry base on top of the pan of apples, quickly finishing the cooking by putting the whole pan in the oven. After turning out the upside down tart, she was surprised to find how much the hotel guests appreciated the dessert. An alternative version of the tart's origin is offered on the Brotherhood of the Tarte Tatin website,[1] according to which Stéphanie baked a caramelised apple tart upside-down by mistake. Regardless she served her guests the unusual dish hot from the oven and a classic was born.

The Tarte became a signature dish at the Hotel Tatin and the recipe spread through the Sologne region. Its lasting fame is probably due to the restaurateur Louis Vaudable, who tasted the tart on a visit to Sologne and made the dessert a permanent fixture on the menu at his restaurant Maxim's of Paris.

Tarte Tatin has to be made with firm dessert apples: cooking apples will not do as they mulch down into a purée. In North America, Tarte Tatin is typically made with Golden Delicious apples, which are not the type used for American-style apple pie.

Tarte Tatin can also be made with pears, peaches, pineapple, tomatoes,[2] other fruit, or vegetables, such as onion.

Gator Bait

 
Very interesting Tony. I have never made Tarte Tatin but have seen it done on TV a number of times and it always looks good. I love apple pie no matter what you call it or how you slice it. Your quote from the internet caught my interest because it refers to "Stéphanie Tatin, who did most of the cooking, was overworked one day. She started to make a traditional apple pie but left the apples cooking in butter and sugar for too long." I had never seen reference to cooking the apples before the rest of the pie until I was given a copy of Pam Anderson's cook book "the perfect recipe", which I highly recommend. On page 320 "Blue Ribbon Apple Pie" she cooks the filling first, before the rest of the pie. Traditionally in this country the pie and the filling get cooked at the same time. As the apples cook inside the crust, they shrink. This leaves a void in the top under the top crust. By cooking the apple filling first you do not get the shrinkage and thus no void under the crust. You can also regulate how juicy your filling is and adjust the seasonings before you bake it in a pie. I got so I was making an apple pie with 4.5 to 5# of apples in them. They were mounded up very high and never had a void under the crust. I also learned why my grandmother always used lard in her pie crust. By using about one third lard and two thirds shortening or butter in a pie crust it will literally melt in your mouth. The best crust ever! Gram new her stuff.

I can now see an even closer relationship between the Tarte Tatin of France and our good old fashion American Apple Pie. Thanks.

Gator

 

maXim

the possibilities with the Egg are endless!

Although I've done Tarte Tatin a few times before, I've never actually done it on the egg. I think I may try it this weekend :P

I would start off with direct heat to cook the apples in butter & sugar. Remove from heat, place puff pastry on top, set-up platesetter legs up, grill, then the dish and continue baking indirect... Hmmm... I think this is going to work!

Thanks for the idea.

Boilermaker Ben

I've made tarte tatin once, but not in the egg. Was inspired by Ruhlman's post here: http://blog.ruhlman.com/2008/11/the-amazing-tar.html

It would have been very good, if I had not overcooked the apples during the stove-top part of the cook. By the time the crust was done, the apples were tough and chewy (but still caramely-delicious). It was still good...just not VERY good. I guess I should try it again this fall, to prove that I can learn from my mistakes.

thebtls

I have a perverse attraction to emile henry flamware...and they make a tarte tatin implement I am just dieing to have but they are so expensive so I have my wife searching the internet...some of you may remember the previous three pieces she found were bought for about 30cents on the dollar..which is unheard of for Emile Henry Flame...I'll keep looking in the meantime...I've GOT to have one of these tarts.

Boilermaker Ben

"tarte tatin implement"? Sounds...medieval.

"Sire, the prisoner isn't talking."
"Bring out the tarte tatin implement...he'll talk."

A skillet will work just fine. Just size your pastry to fit inside your pan.