Tarte Tatin

[idun]

Just making one.

I cook the sliced apples in butter and brown sugar until lightly caramelised. Then simply, they get  tipped, rather than nicely placed, into the bottom of the baking tin and the pastry placed over.

I noticed a recipe yesterday for a tarte tatin, and all the apples were lined up, as I consider, all fancy, as I would with a tarte aux pommes. I never had a fancy looking tarte tatin in France, but just they way I was shown and now make it, with higgledy piggledy caramelised apples.

Is there a reason for tarting this tarte up???? because a light coating of icing sugar or a few dollops of chantilly always 'tarts' it up for sufficiently for me.

[suein56]

Your recipes are always interesting, but quite different to what I do .. but, then, I think you are a proper cook .. whereas I might be considered a bodger, as I put bits and bobs together and live in hope of it turning out OK.

I never previously cook the apples for my tarte tatin before putting the tart in the oven .. but then I use eating apples from our garden.

[Patf]

Sue - I'm so envious! We had one small tree which produced loads of apples, like Braeburns.

I made tarte tatin once when we were in France, and it was quite a challenge.

I think I used garden or canada gris apples, and bought pastry. The recipe said line the round tin, bake the sliced apples in butter and sugar first before placing the pastry.

I remember it was very good, don't know why I haven't made it again. Maybe with bramleys? Which we can buy here.

Do you think it makes any difference what kind of pastry you use?

[idun]

Oh I am a bit of a bodger and truthfully, my serving skills are nulle, you are as likely to get stuff on your lap, or on the table next to your plate,  but not on your plate if I am serving.

I always use eating apples for tarte tatin, and I always melt butter and sugar, for me, preferably brown of some sort, not that bothered which. All of which is au pif, because I was told what to do, but not how much of everything.[Www] Then add the sliced apples and gently cook them until the apples are sort of poached, just cooked in the toffee'ish mixture and then I turn the heat up and slightly brown the apples. At this point, I sometimes add maple syrup, and sometimes IF I fancy a few walnuts too.

This mix, especially with the walnuts and maple syrup is lovely under a crumble.

For a tarte tatin, I sometimes use the baking tin on the hob which I will later top with pastry. But more often than not, I use a frying pan and tip the apples and sauce into the baking tin.

[NickP]

Idun, Tarte Tatin is my favourite, but our local cheap but superb restaurant close to where our Holiday home is serves the Tarte deluged with the Calvados that his brother makes, they are Normans. He tops mine up and flambes it especially as he thinks it's a joke, so we always have to walk up to the Auberge as I daren't risk having to souffle le ballon.