Someone pointed out that the ideal pan for pommes Anna was also the
ideal one for tarte Tatin. So true. So here it is, while you still
have the pan out. Until now I've used the same pan for both. However -
big news - I made my first foray onto eBay a few days ago and very
excitingly won the fancy copper pommes Anna pan! For less than a third
its retail price - ha! Hello eBay...! The pan arrived today and is
stunningly beautiful. My first copper! (Please excuse all the
horrible exclamation marks, but this really has been an episode of great
excitement.)
Anyway, the tarte Tatin is a much more serious matter than the prostitute's favourite potatoes. Its integrity is fiercely guarded by the Lichonneux Brotherhood of Tarte Tatin, who reside in the tart's hometown of Lamotte-Beuvron in central France. Check them out before you bake - they're worth it.
I made this classic French tart for the first time at school several months ago and have since made it several times at home as it is so easy and so delicious. There are just two tricks: 1) Buy the right apples - they should be able to hold their shape during cooking. Coxs’ Orange Pippin is supposed to be the best. Here in the US I’ve had great success with Pink Ladies. 2) Work quickly when making and handling the dough so that the gluten in the flour does not get over-worked and the butter does not start to melt.
PS Some people asked what I was given to cook in my final exam. Well, we were presented with a duck (dead), some mushrooms, a bunch of chard and several turnips. Plus there were all the usual store cupboard ingredients. So, I made mushroom ravioli with a tarragon lemon butter sauce, followed by 'duck three ways' (just to be fancy) - slow-roasted leg, pan-fried breast, a little liver crouton and some ducky brandy sauce - served with sauteed turnip slices with dates and garlicky chard. There was a recipe for a chocolate cake for dessert which fast became the wonkiest cake I've ever seen. The rest turned out OK.
Anyway, the tarte Tatin is a much more serious matter than the prostitute's favourite potatoes. Its integrity is fiercely guarded by the Lichonneux Brotherhood of Tarte Tatin, who reside in the tart's hometown of Lamotte-Beuvron in central France. Check them out before you bake - they're worth it.
PS Some people asked what I was given to cook in my final exam. Well, we were presented with a duck (dead), some mushrooms, a bunch of chard and several turnips. Plus there were all the usual store cupboard ingredients. So, I made mushroom ravioli with a tarragon lemon butter sauce, followed by 'duck three ways' (just to be fancy) - slow-roasted leg, pan-fried breast, a little liver crouton and some ducky brandy sauce - served with sauteed turnip slices with dates and garlicky chard. There was a recipe for a chocolate cake for dessert which fast became the wonkiest cake I've ever seen. The rest turned out OK.
Continue reading Tarte Tatin.


