Julia Childs 1994 Tarte Tatin Recipes

APPLE TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Peel and core the apples, then slice them. I used my hand-dandy OXO Good Grips Apple Divider for this.
• Toss the apples into a bowl with the lemon juice and 1/2 a cup of sugar. Toss well, then allow to sit for 20 minutes.
• While the apples are macerating, you can start on the caramel. I used my old cast-iron frying pan for this. You need to use a frying pan that go into the oven, so no wooden or plastic handles. Melt the butter over medium-high heat, and then add the remaining cup of sugar. Keep stirring and working the caramel until the sugar is all melted into the butter, and then keep working it until it is... well... caramel in colour. Mine was a bit thick, and felt a little grainy, so I added a tablespoon of water here and there until I felt it achieved the right syrupy consistency. You have to really babysit the caramel so that it doesn't burn, but if you stir it constantly, it may take a long time to cook, so you can leave it for a moment or two at a time, then go back to stirring it. Don't check your email, though. This should take about 15-20 minutes. Once the caramel has achieved perfection, take it off the stove and let it cool a little.
• Drain the apples. Arrange the apples in a circular pattern on top of the caramel. You should have enough for two layers of apples.
• Return the pan to the heat, and allow the caramel to cook around the apples. Cover after 10 minutes, and allow to cook for about 10-15 minutes more. Every few minutes or so, push the apples down into the caramel with a spoon, squishing the juices from the apples out and allowing them to mingle with the caramel. After about 20-25 minutes, the caramel will be thickened, and the apples will be cooked down. Remove from heat.
• Cover the apples with your pastry (cut in a circle), and tuck it under the apples on the edges of the pan if possible. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for an additional 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden.
• Remove from the oven, and allow to cool so it is handleable. Place a large plate on top of the frying pan, and carefully flip it. The tarte tatin should now be crust-side down on the plate. Slice and serve with whipping cream or ice cream.

FOOLPROOF TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• At least one day before you plan to cook the tart, prepare the apples: Slice off the bottom of each apple so it has a flat base. Peel and quarter the apples. Use a small sharp knife to trim the hard cores and seeds from the center of each quarter; don't worry about being too neat. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate, lightly covered, for at least one day or up to three days. (This key step reduces the amount of liquid in the tart. Don't worry if the apples turn brown; they will be browned during the cooking anyway.)
• When ready to cook, heat oven to 375 degrees (or 350 if using convection). Thickly coat the bottom of a 10-inch heavy ovenproof skillet, preferably nonstick metal, with butter. Sprinkle sugar evenly on top.
• Cut one piece of apple into a thick round disk and place in the center of the skillet to serve as the "button." Arrange the remaining apple pieces, each one standing on its flat end, in concentric circles around the button. Keep the pieces close together so that they support one another, standing upright. They will look like the petals of a flower.
• On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry about 1/8-inch thick. Place an upside-down bowl or pan on the pastry and use the tip of a sharp knife to cut out a circle about the same size as the top of your skillet. Lift out the circle and drape gently over the apples. Use your hands to tuck the pastry around the apple pieces, hugging them together firmly.
• Place the skillet on the stovetop over medium heat until golden-brown juice begins to bubble around the edges, 3 minutes (if the juices keep rising, spoon out as needed to remain level with pastry). If necessary, raise the heat so that the juices are at a boil. Keep cooking until the juices are turning darker brown and smell caramelized, no longer than 10 minutes more.
• Transfer skillet to the oven and bake 45 to 50 minutes, until puff pastry is browned and firm.
• Let cool 5 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a round serving plate. (Or, if not serving immediately, let cool completely in the pan; when ready to serve, rewarm for 15 minutes in a 350-degree oven before turning out.) If any apples remain stuck in the pan, gently use your fingers or a spatula to retrieve them, and rearrange on the pastry shell. Cut in wedges and serve warm with heavy cream, crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.

TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Roll pastry sheet into a 101/2-inch square on a floured work surface with a floured rolling pin. Brush off excess flour and cut out a 10-inch round with a sharp knife, using a plate as a guide. Transfer round to a baking sheet and chill.
• Spread butter thickly on bottom and side of skillet and pour sugar evenly over bottom. Arrange as many apples as will fit vertically on sugar, packing them tightly in concentric circles. Apples will stick up above rim of skillet.
• Cook apples over moderately high heat, undisturbed, until juices are deep golden and bubbling, 18 to 25 minutes. (Don't worry if juices color unevenly.)
• Put skillet in middle of oven over a piece of foil to catch any drips. Bake 20 minutes (apples will settle slightly), then remove from oven and lay pastry round over apples.
• Bake tart until pastry is browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer skillet to a rack and cool at least 10 minutes.
• Just before serving, invert a platter with lip over skillet and, using potholders to hold skillet and plate tightly together, invert tart onto platter. Replace any apples that stick to skillet. (Don't worry if there are black spots; they won't affect the flavor of the tart.) Brush any excess caramel from skillet over apples. Serve immediately.