Individual Dried Fruit Tartes Tatin Recipes

INDIVIDUAL TARTES TATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Peel apple, halve lengthwise, and core. Using a 1-cup ramekin (3 1/4 inches across and 2 1/4 inches deep) as a guide, cut out 2 rounds from pastry sheet.
• In a 7-inch heavy skillet heat butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and stir in brown sugar and water. Add apple halves and cook, turning frequently, 3 minutes. In two 1-cup ramekins set on a baking sheet arrange apple halves, cored sides up, and top evenly with sauce.
• Top apples with pastry rounds, letting edges of pastry hang over sides of apples. Bake tarts in middle of oven for 20 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown, and cool on a rack 5 minutes. Working with 1 ramekin at a time, invert a plate over each ramekin and invert ramekin onto plate. Carefully lift off ramekins.
• Serve tarts with ice cream.

INDIVIDUAL PEACH TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a saucepan until it bubbles. Add the sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick and stir to combine, pressing on the vanilla bean to bring out the vanilla seeds inside. Continue simmering until caramel in color, about 5 minutes. The mixture might not look smooth and blended at this point.
• Stir in the brandy, lemon juice and orange zest and continue cooking until smooth, about 5 minutes more. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F and arrange the ramekins on a cookie sheet. Pour 2 tablespoons of caramel into the bottom of each ramekin. Arrange 1 peach half in each ramekin. Pour a little more caramel over the peaches and bake until the caramel is bubbling and the peaches are almost tender, 15 to 20 minutes. (The recipe can be made up to this point, cooled to room temperature, and refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.)
• Meanwhile, use a cutter or sharp knife, cut the puff pastry into 12 rounds, slightly larger than the diameter of your ramekins (they will shrink during the baking). Remove the ramekins from the oven and turn it up to 425 degrees F. Top each ramekin with a round of puff pastry and bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 10 minutes more. Let cool at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours. When ready to serve, re-warm the tarts slightly to loosen the caramel by placing them in a shallow pan of very hot water, or on a flame tamer on your stovetop, set over medium heat. Unmold upside down onto small plates and serve, with the peaches up and the pastry on the bottom.

MINI APPLE TARTES TATIN

Steps:

• Place 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add sugar and corn syrup, increase heat to high, and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture caramelizes into a deep amber brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Once it starts turning brown, swirl often and keep a close eye on it.
• Remove from the heat, and whisk in butter until melted and smooth. Divide among six 4-to 6-ounce ramekins, or among the cups of a nonstick 6-muffin tin.
• Cut the apples in half from top to bottom. Use a melon baller or the tip of a knife to core the apple halves. Trim off any remaining peels and stems, and cut around the edges so each apple half is about the same diameter as each ramekin. Place the apple halves face down on a work surface, then slice into 1/2-inch-thick pieces, keeping the slices together so the shape of the apple half stays intact. Tuck each apple half into a ramekin or cup, with the flat side facing up and the curved back nestling into the caramel.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll out or unfold the pastry and prick all over with a fork. Using a biscuit cutter or a knife, cut out six pastry rounds that are slightly larger than the ramekins (about 1/2 inch of dough all the way around). Keep pastry rounds chilled until ready to use.
• Place the pastry rounds on top of the ramekins or cups. Working your way around, use forefingers and thumbs to turn the pastry edges up and away from the apples, as if making a little round stand for each tart. Crimp the edges a bit. Tuck the pastry rounds slightly down into the ramekins; do not seal. Place the ramekins or muffin tin on a baking sheet lined with a nonstick liner or parchment paper.
• Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake until the puff pastry is golden brown, the apples are fork-tender but not mushy, and the caramel is thick and bubbling, about 10 minutes more depending on the apples. To test, after 10 minutes, remove from the oven and slip a fork into one tart. The apples should be cooked through. Let cool in the ramekins or cups for at least 1 hour, to allow the apples to absorb the caramel.
• When ready to serve, heat oven to 350 degrees. Reheat the tarts for 3 minutes (to soften the caramel) before inverting onto individual dishes. If using a muffin tin, cover the tin with a baking sheet and use both hands to flip the pans over, so the tarts fall out onto the baking sheet. Don't worry if some of the caramel runs out.