Tart Tatin Cooks Country Recipes

TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, place the flours, sugar and butter. Pulse 5 or 6 times in 1/2-second bursts to break up the butter. Add the shortening, turn on the machine and immediately add the ice water, pulsing 2 or 3 times. The dough should look like a mass of smallish lumps and should just hold together in a mass when a handful is pressed together. If the mixture is too dry, pulse in more water by droplets.
• Turn the dough out onto the work surface and with the heel of your hand, rapidly and roughly push egg-size blobs into a 6-inch smear. Gather the dough into a relatively smooth cake, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).
• Slice the halved apples into 4 lengthwise wedges each, and toss in a large bowl with the lemon juice and zest and 1/2 cup sugar. Drain the apples after macerating 20 minutes.
• In a 9-inch skillet melt the butter over high heat. Stir in the remaining sugar and cook until the syrup bubbles and caramelizes, and turns a brown color. Remove the pan from the heat and arrange a layer of apple slices in a neat pattern on the caramel in the skillet, then arrange the remaining apples neatly on top.
• Return the pan to moderately high heat and cook for about 25 minutes, covering the pan after 10 minutes. Every few minutes press down on the apples and baste them with the exuded juices. When the juices are thick and syrupy, remove the pan from the heat.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a circle, 3/16-inch thick and 1-inch larger than the top of the pan. Drape the dough over the apples, pressing the edge of the dough between the apples and the inside of the pan. Cut 4 small steam holes on the top of the dough. Bake until the pastry has browned and crisped, about 20 minutes.
• Unmold the tart onto a serving dish (so the pastry is on the bottom), and serve warm or cold with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, as desired.

TOMATO TART TATIN

Steps:

• Set up your grill for indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only.
• Season the tomato halves with kosher salt and pepper and set aside. Place the sugar in a large enameled cast iron braiser or saute pan over the direct heat side of the grill. Shake out into an even layer and allow to melt then caramelize, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan for any brown bits. Stir in the garlic, onions and thyme, then the parsley and allow the liquid to melt back down. Remove from the heat.
• Place the tomatoes flesh side down on top of the onions. Place on the indirect heat side of the grill, close the lid and vents of the grill (this will make the temperature drop to 225 to 250 degrees F) and bake until the skins are wrinkly and the tomatoes have softened and given up more liquid, 2 hours.
• Brush another large enameled cast iron braiser or saute pan with the butter. When the tomatoes are ready, scoop the tomatoes out of their juices and place them in the buttered pan, cut side up and skin side down. Add the caramelized onions on top of the tomatoes. Using kitchen shears, cut off the square edges of the puff pastry, rounding the edges. Top the tomatoes and onions with the puff pastry round.
• Place the pan on the indirect heat side of the grill, with the air vents open, and cover the grill. The temperature should be around 425 degrees F. Bake until golden brown and the pastry is puffed, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for 3 minutes before turning out on to a plate. Garnish with a sprig of basil in the center and sprinkle with flakey salt.

TART TATIN COOK'S COUNTRY

Steps:

• 1. For the pastry: Mix flour, sugar, and salt in food processor fitted with steel blade. Scatter butter over dry ingredients; process until mixture resembles cornmeal, 7 to 12 seconds. Turn mixture into medium bowl; add egg and stir with fork until little balls form. Press balls together with back of fork, then gather dough into ball with hands. Wrap in plastic, then flatten into 4-inch disk. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. (Can be refrigerated overnight; let stand at room temperature to warm slightly before further use.) 2. Unwrap dough and turn out onto well-floured work surface. Sprinkle with additional flour. Starting from disk center outward, roll dough into 12-inch circle, strewing flour underneath to prevent sticking. Slide lightly floured, rimless cookie sheet or pizza peel under crust (see illustration 1), cover with plastic, and refrigerate while preparing apples. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. 3. For the filling: Melt butter in 9-inch skillet or tarte Tatin pan; remove from heat and sprinkle evenly with sugar. Following illustrations 2 through 3, arrange apples in skillet. 4. Return skillet to high heat; cook until juices turn from butterscotch to rich amber color, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using fork or tip of paring knife, turn apples onto uncaramelized sides (illustration 4). Return skillet to highest heat; boil to cook uncaramelized sides of apples, about 5 minutes longer. 5. Remove skillet from heat. Slide prepared dough over skillet (illustration 5), and, taking care not to burn fingers, tuck dough edges gently against skillet wall (illustration 6). 6. Bake until crust is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Set skillet on wire rack; let cool about 20 minutes. Loosen edges with knife, place serving plate over top of skillet (illustration 7), turn tart upside-down, then remove skillet (illustration 8). Scrape out any apples that stick to skillet and put them back into place.

TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• To make the pastry dough, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine all the ingredients for the dough and mix at low speed until just smooth. Gather the dough into a ball (it will be quite soft), flatten to a thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• When ready to bake the tart, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prepare the apples. Use 1 tablespoon of the butter to grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch tart pan with straight sides or a 9-inch cake pan. Sprinkle the bottom with 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Arrange the apples neatly in the pan, rounded side down. Sprinkle them with the remaining sugar and dot with the remaining butter.
• On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a disk just slightly larger than the tart pan. Cover the apples with the pastry, tucking the edges of the dough over the apples. Using a pastry brush, brush the surface of the dough with some of the egg yolk.
• Bake the tart in the middle of the oven until the dough is very lightly browned and the apples are just tender when poked through the dough with the tip of a paring knife, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand 5 minutes.
• Place a serving plate upside down on top of the tart pan. Using kitchen mitts, grasp the edges of the plate and the pan and quickly invert the pan. Remove the pan. Cut the tart into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.