Caramelised Fruit Tarte Tatin Upside Down Pastry Pie Recipes

CARAMELISED FRUIT TARTE TATIN (UPSIDE DOWN PASTRY PIE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to moderate - 200c.
• Cut pastry to size of baking pan or dish.
• Melt butter in a non stick pan. Add sugar and cook over a medium heat until the mixture is a caramel colour and the sugar has dissolved. Careful not to burn it. Remove from heat.
• Mix in brandy or liqueur (careful, it may sizzle and spit). Pour into baking dish. Put the fruit pieces in the dish, cut (flat) side down.
• Place pastry over top of fruit and tuck in the sides.
• Bake for 20 mins or until pastry has risen and is golden and crispy.
• Carefully invert the tarte Tatin onto a plate (fruit side up, with the pastry on the bottom). Serve immediately with a dollop of cream or ice cream, sprinkled with toasted almond flakes.

CARAMELISED UPSIDE-DOWN APPLE TART - TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Make a well in the centre of the flour. Put the egg yolks, sugar and a pinch of salt in the centre of the well, then add the butter and the water. Mix with your fingertips until the crumb stage. Use more water at your discretion. The dough must be very smooth. Shape into a ball and chill until firm.
• Melt the butter in a frying pan.When it starts to sizzle add the sugar all at once. Cook over medium heat, stirring now and then with a wooden spoon until caramelised to a deep golden brown. Cook gently once it starts to colour because it burns easily. This will take about 3 - 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool until tepid.
• Arrange the apple halves upright in concentric circles to fill the pan. The apples will shrink during cooking so pack it in tightly. Cook the apples over high heat until caramelised, 15 - 25 minutes. Turn the apples over to caramelise on both sides - use a fork. Remove the pan from heat and let cool 10 - 15 minutes.
• Roll out the pastry into a round 2.5 cm larger than the frying pan. Roll up the dough around the rolling pin and transfer to the pan. Drape the dough over the pan. Tuck the edges of the dough down around the apples. Bake the tart in the heated oven until the crust is golden brown. 20 - 25 minutes.
• Let the tart cool until tepid in the pan then unmould it. Set a serving plate on top of the pan, hold firmly together and invert the two. If the apples stick to the pan, remove and replace on the tart. If any caramel remains, use it on the apples.
• Serve with creme fraiche.

CARAMELIZED APPLE TART: TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• To make the caramel: Have ready a 10-inch round cake pan with 3-inch sides. (Do not use a springform pan for this; it will leak!) In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is dark amber in color ¿ it's okay if there are a few sugar lumps remaining. When the caramel is done, carefully pour it into the cake pan. Don't touch the cake pan with unprotected hands ¿ it will be hot! Set the cake pan aside until caramel is cool. (The caramel-coated pan can be made up to 2 days in advance and left, covered, at room temperature.)
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Core the apples by cutting down, top to bottom, on all 4 sides around the core. You will have 2 apple halves and 2 smaller pieces. Arrange the first layer of apple halves, flat-side down, on top of the set caramel in the pan. (This will later become the top of the tart.) Arrange the remaining apple halves and pieces to form the second layer. Things will be a bit crowded at first, but the apples will shrink down when cooked. Place on a parchment paper-lined, sturdy baking sheet. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the apples are very tender.
• Meanwhile, on a lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry dough into a round 1/4-inch thick. Cut out a 10-inch pastry circle and transfer it to a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
• When the apples are done, carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer to a flat surface, taking care, as the caramel will be bubbling hot. Remove the pastry circle from the refrigerator and prick with a fork 15 times. Gently place on top of the cooked apples. Return tart to the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until the puff pastry is puffy and golden brown. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 to 25 minutes.
• To serve, you will need a 12- to 14-inch diameter round serving platter and another sturdy baking sheet. Invert both the serving platter and the other baking sheet. Invert both the serving platter and the other baking sheet over the warm tatin pan. Using both hands, firmly grab both baking sheets and quickly flip over the pans ¿ doing this over the kitchen sink will cut down on any sticky mess. Remove the top baking sheet and carefully lift up the cake pan, using dry towels to avoid getting burned by the caramel. If any apples remain stuck to the pan, remove them with a metal spatula and place them back on the tart. This tart is best served warm.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, salt, water, and melted butter on medium speed until well mixed, about 1 minute. Work quickly and do not overwork the dough. Transfer the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap, form it into a rough rectangle, enclose the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Meanwhile, put the remaining 14 ounces of butter between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin, turning as necessary, until softened. The butter should be malleable but not too soft. Set aside in a cool place ¿ the butter will later be spread on the dough as you start the folding process.
• Place the refrigerated dough on a well-floured work surface and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Using a rolling pin, push down on the dough to start flattening it, and then roll it into a 20 by 30 by 10-inch rectangle, 1/4 inch thick, with the long sides running from left to right. (It might feel that you're rolling sideways, and well, you are.) Carefully brush off any excess flour from the dough. Starting on the right side, and leaving a 1-inch border, slap and spread on the butter, using your fingers, over two-thirds of the rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds; starting with the left side, fold at the butter line as if closing a book, and then fold the right side up and over the top layer. You should end up with a stack of 3 thick layers of dough, each separated from the next by a layer of butter.
• As you prepare to make the first turn of the dough, keep in mind the importance of rolling the butter evenly along the length and width of the rectangle as you roll the dough. Adjust the pressure on the rolling pin as necessary, rolling harder or more evenly, to achieve a smoother, even, dough-enclosed butter sandwich. To begin your first turn, turn the dough 90 degrees on your work surface so the closed fold is at the top and, rolling lengthwise, roll It into a 20 by 10-inch rectangle. Brush off any excess flour and fold into thirds as above, starting with the left side and ending with the right. At this point, you have finished one turn. Rotate the dough 90 degrees so the closed fold is at the top, and repeat the rolling and folding process. The second turn is complete. After the second turn, or any time the dough is too soft to work with, transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate, covered in plastic wrap, for about 30 minutes, or until the dough is chilled and relaxed. Each time the dough is refrigerated, make an indentation in the dough with your fingertip for each turn completed. Repeat this rolling and folding process, rolling out the dough lengthwise every time, for more times for a total of 6 turns. After the sixth turn, let the dough rest a good hour in the refrigerator.
• Store the dough, as is, well wrapped in plastic wrap. The dough can be kept refrigerated up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 10 days. If frozen, thaw the dough, still wrapped in plastic, in the refrigerator before using.

EASY UPSIDE DOWN APPLE TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Peel, core& quarter apples; toss with lemon juice& 2 tbsp of the sugar.
• Let stand& toss again so that sugar is completely dissolved.
• In a 10 inch ovenproof skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
• Sprinkle remaining sugar evenly over butter.
• Stir just until sugar is dissolved& remove from heat.
• Place as many apple wedges as you can into the pan.
• They will actually stand on end but thats OK since they will shrink as the tarte cooks.
• Place the pan back over medium heat and cook the apples for 20- 25 minutes or until syrup has formed a thickened caramel.
• Cool slightly.
• Gently roll out pie shell (or puff pastry) to fit slightly larger than the pan.
• Place over the pan, trim edges& bake in preheated 400F oven for 20- 25 minutes or until pastry is crisp.
• Turn out onto a large platter& serve.

UPSIDE-DOWN CARAMELIZED APRICOT TART

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Combine 1/2 cup sugar if using canned apricots (or 3/4 cup sugar if using fresh apricots) and 2 tablespoons water in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with pastry brush dipped into water and swirling pan, about 8 minutes. Add butter and cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir over low heat until any caramel bits are dissolved. Immediately pour caramel into nonstick 10-inch-diameter ovenproof skillet; swirl to cover bottom of skillet. Carefully place apricot halves, rounded side down, tightly together atop caramel.
• Roll out puff pastry sheet on lightly floured surface to 12 1/2-inch square. Using 12-inch tart pan bottom or platter as guide, cut pastry into 12-inch round. Place puff pastry round atop apricots in skillet. Gently press down pastry around apricots at edge of skillet. Bake tart until pastry is puffed and deep golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven; cool 1 minute. Cut around edge of pastry to loosen. Place large rimmed platter atop skillet. Using oven mitts as aid, hold skillet and platter tightly together and invert, allowing tart and syrup to fall onto platter. Carefully lift off skillet. Rearrange any apricots that may have become dislodged. Serve warm.

CARAMELIZED UPSIDE-DOWN PEAR TART

Steps:

• Peel, halve, and core pears.
• In a 9- to 10-inch ovenproof non-stick skillet or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet heat butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and stir in sugar (sugar will not be dissolved). Arrange pears, cut sides up, in skillet, with side parts at rim of skillet. Sprinkle pears with cinnamon and cook without stirring until sugar mixture forms a deep golden caramel. (This can take as little as 10 minutes or as much as 25, depending on skillet and stove.) Cool pears completely in skillet.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll out dough into an 11-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and arrange over caramelized pears. Tuck edge around pears. Bake tart in middle of oven until pastry is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Have ready a rimmed serving plate slightly larger than skillet. As soon as tart has finished baking, invert plate over skillet and, wearing oven mitts and keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together, invert tart onto plate. (This is a bit scary, but it works!)
• Serve tart at room temperature or chilled with whipped cream or ice cream.