Recipes

This recipe for Apple Tarte Tatin comes from Henrietta's New Country Kitchen. She writes "This dish needs a firm variety of apple which holds together well and preferably also one with a sweet dense flavour, so a cooker just will not do. When I can find them, I use the old-fashioned Orleans Reinette; otherwise the nutty Egremont Russet or a well-ripened yellow-skinned Golden Delicious are more than acceptable."

Serves 4-6

    85g/30z butter, plus extra for greasing
    55g/2ox caster sugar
    675g/1 1/2 lb apples, cored
    1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
    225g/8oz rich shortcrust pastry, rested

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F and heavily grease a flameproof dish or thick-based cake pan with butter. Sprinkle the bottom with about 30g/1oz of the sugar.

Depending on the size of the apples, cut each half into 2 or 3 slices about 1cm thick. Arrange the slices of apple overlapping around the dish, sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar, dot with butter and then repeat the process until all the apple, butter and sugar are used up.

Put the pan over a medium to high heat and cook for about 10-15 minutes until the sugar has caramelised, taking care not to let it burn. If a lot of liquid is produced, as sometimes happens if you are using very juicy apples, simply pour some of it off into a small saucepan and boil the liquid over a high heat to reduce it until thick and syrupy, then pour it back over the apples.

Meanwhile, roll out the pastry into a circle about 6mm thick and slightly larger than the pan. Fold in the edge of the dough to make a border, press it flat and crimp the edge and pierce the pastry all over with a fork to make tiny holes through which the steam can escape.

Lay the pastry over the apples, folded side down, and bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, covering the pastry with foil if it begins to get too brown. Remove the tart from the oven and unmould it by placing a serving plate over the pan and carefully turning it the right side up.

Serve hot or warm with a huge bowl of cream or creme fraiche.