Tarte Tatin

With the move imminent, most of my kitchen stuff has been packed away now. However that hasn't given me any less of an inclination to cook... so I had a wee go at an improv Tarte Tatin with the limited equipment I still have out.

Because of the lack of equipment, I didn't make my own puff pastry (sorry!) and I was trying to keep things as simple as possible. I'll make some up at some point for another recipe I'm sure.

I also didn't take a lot of pictures - only really of the finished article - as I wasn't intending to blog this. But now I am. So there.

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To make one nine inch tart you will need:

- 120g caster sugar

- 50ml water

- 50g unsalted butter

- 1kg apples

- 300g puff pastry

Not having a Tarte Tatin dish, I used a nine inch cake tin with fairly shallow sides. This seemed to work just fine, though it does mean that the caramel has to be made up in a separate pot. 

Start by peeling the apples, coring them and then slicing them into segments. Put these to the side while you turn your attention to the caramel. To stop the apples browning while they wait, apply lemon juice to the blade of the knife you're cutting with - the reaction of the acid in the lemon keeps the flesh of the apple that contacted the blade fresh. 

For the caramel, put the water and sugar into a pan and allow the water to absorb the sugar before putting it on the hob. Then gently heat the mixture until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter. 

Pour your caramel into the Tatin dish or cake tin and allow it to settle before arranging the apple slices. Make sure that there are no gaps between the apples and press them down to wedge them into place.

Melt a little extra butter and brush this onto the apples before putting the tin into the oven for half an hour at 180°C.

While the apples cook, turn your attention to the puff pastry. If you decide to make your own, prepare it well in advance. Otherwise, just roll out the dough and cut yourself a circle that is only slightly bigger than the size of your cake tin (or Tatin dish).

Once the apples have been in for half an hour, take them out and put the pastry disc over the top of your tin. Tuck the overhanging pastry down the side of the apples to form a lip round the outside of the filling. Put this back into the oven for about 40 minutes - until the pastry has risen, crisped and browned.

It is now ready to turn out and serve - pretty good with a dollop of crème fraiche. 

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Coming up:

- With a few more days before I move, I'm sure I'll cook something else... we'll see.