TARTE TATIN
About the Recipe
Almost everyone loves a good Tarte Tatin. This unusual version calls for sour cream in the crust which allows for a longer cooking time and thus more deeply caramelized apples. I was given this recipe by a friend in the 1990's and included it back then in Perfect Picnics for All Seasons, my very first cookbook. It's equally delicious now, almost 30 years later.
Tarte Tatin
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
For the Crust:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup sour cream or crème fraiche
For the Apple Filling:
6 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, halved, cored
1/4 cup calvados, brandy, Cognac or dark rum
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
For the Pan:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
pinch sea salt
For Serving:
Vanilla Ice Cream or Crème Fraiche
Method
Preheat the oven to 350F.
To make the crust, process the flour, salt and cold butter in a food processor, turning it on and off, until the butter pieces are the size of small peas.
Add the sour cream and process, pulsing the machine, until the mixture is just uniformly moistened, 10 to 20 seconds. Don’t overprocess. Roll the dough between 2 pieces of wax paper or kitchen parchment into a disc about 10 inches in diameter. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (and up to two days) until ready to use.
In a large bowl, toss the apples with the Calvados, the 1/4 cup sugar and pinch of salt and set aside
In a heavy ovenproof 9-inch skillet (ideally cask iron), melt the 1/4 cup butter with the 3/4 cup sugar and salt over medium heat. Stir often until the mixture caramelizes. It will become very dark and begin to bubble. Don’t let it burn, but it should be very dark. Remove from heat. This can be done up to 2 days ahead.
Arrange the soaked apples, rounded sides down, on the caramel in the skillet. Fit the pieces together tightly as they will shrink during cooking. Cut the apple pieces that do not fit and jam them into the pan. If necessary, make a second layer of apples. Pour the juices left in the bowl over the top.
Lay the crust on top of the apples and tuck the edges down around the apples
Bake on the lowest rack of the oven for 2 hours. Immediately run a knife around the edge of the crust and then carefully turn out onto a serving platter. If any apples stick to the pan, remove them carefully with a spatula and replace them on the tart.
Let rest at least 15-20 minutes before serving as the buttery crust needs to firm up.
Serve lukewarm or at room temperature, preferably with vanilla ice cream or creme fraiche.