Recipes from professional Chef Tallyrand:

LA TARTE TATIN

Classical versus modern . . .

Something that never fails to amaze me is that for all the new cuisines, food styles and dishes that arrive on our doorstep, for all the new food fads that appear, most of them just as quickly disappear into oblivion. Yet the classics remain, much the same as music really.

One of these classics in cuisine is the Tarte Tatin. A simple idea that has stood the test of time, originally made with apple, many chefs today have taken this classic and use pears or many other fruits or even make savoury variations on the theme. But they are still all based on the original dish that was created in the 19th century by Stephanie Tatin. Stephanie and her younger sister Caroline took over the running of the family hotel, aptly named ‘Hotel Tatin’ on the death of their father Jean in 1888.

	Caroline Tatin - 7th March 1847 to 2nd May 1911
	Caroline ran the hospitality side of the business, received the guests of the hotel and was eventually considered as a friend to many. It was said of her that she was " the small princess of the Sologne”

	Stéphanie Tatin - 27th May 1838 to 14th July 1917
	Stéphanie , a cordon bleu cook meanwhile dealt with the kitchen. Morning and evening it was she that fired up its furnace, cooked the meals and ended up creating this fine dish.

Made with just four basic ingredients, Tarte Tatin is a sure to impress dessert that can be ‘knocked’ up in no time. It does however require a frying pan that can be placed in the oven, so that old one that you have knocking around, you know the one, the one who’s handle fell off but has never been thrown out. How did I know you have one? Am I psychic? Nope, not at all, but every home kitchen seems to have one! Well now you have a reason to keep it and more to the point use it, but a good scrub up will mean being able to take it to the table and turn the Tarte Tatin out in front of your guests.

Wonderfully rustic, extremely rich, serve Tarte Tatin for brunch, lunch or as a dessert after a dinner. Try it with some clotted cream, crème fraiche, marscapone, some thick farmhouse yoghurt or slices of aged cheddar! Yes I kid you not, apple tart or pie of any kind is just superb with cheddar! Oh and do not be put off how small it is, a 20cm tart will serve six people…it is that rich!

So lets stay with the classical and original version of Tarte Tatin . . . try it and then let your imagination run free and try the method with other ingredients besides apples such as:

bananas
pears,
peaches
tomatoes
roasted capsicums

. . . the variations of Tarte Tatin are endless . . . bon appetit!

Ingredients for Tarte Tatin

Cox's apples (must be tart/sour)	5	pc
butter (room temperature)	150	gm
castor sugar	250	gm
puff pastry - 22 cm round/3mm thick	1	sq

How to make Tarte Tatin

1.	Pre-heat oven to 200ºC
2.	Roll out the pastry approx. 3mm thick and cut into a circle big enough to cover the base of a frying pan with a 2cm overlap to allow for a ‘crust’
3.	Peel, core and cut the apples in half
4.	Lightly cover the base of frying pan with butter and sprinkle liberally with the castor sugar
5.	Arrange the apple halves in a circular fashion (with the cut side face down) and place on a medium to low heat until a very light caramel is obtained
6.	Carefully cover with the pastry round and tuck in the edges, bake at 200ºC for approximately 15 minutes : until the pastry has risen and turned golden brown
7.	Remove from the oven and with a knife ensure the pastry has not stuck to the sides and the caramel is fully formed
8.	Turn upside down onto a serving plate, the pastry is served as the base and the apples should be sitting on it all wonderfully caramelised and arranged. So before lifting the pan ensure the apples are not stuck to the pan, if they are, gently prise them off with a palate knife.

Chef's Tip for Tarte Tatin

The secret to Tarte Tatin is heat control. Care must be taken not to burn the caramel but also to ensure that a caramel is formed. If on removing the tart from the oven you believe the butter and sugar has not caramelised fully, place it over a low flame until it does.

Care must be taken when turning the Tarte Tatin over as the caramel will be at 150ºC and can cause severe burns.

Enjoy your Tarte Tatin and bon appetit . . . . .

Published 08 October 2001