Making a pie upside down by placing the apples and caramel in the mold under sweet shortcrust pastry before turning it out all golden – it’s a funny process, and typically French. Tarte Tatin was born in the 19th century in the Loire Valley thanks to the clumsiness of two sisters, Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin, who have since more than made up for their mistake!
This is one of my favorite desserts and it is one of the dishes I learned at my dutch baking class.
INGREDIENTS
For the dough
-150gr chestnut flour
-100gr rice flour
-50gr almond powder/ground almonds
-5 tablespoons of olive oil
-5 tablespoons of sugar
-1 egg yolk
-1 pinch of salt
-1 lemon
-8cl warm water
For the apple mix
-10 - 12 royal gala apples
-160gr sugar
-80gr butter
-A little salted butter
-apple or quince jelly
-thick crème fraîche
Preparation
Mix the chestnut flour, rice flour, ground almonds, sugar, salt, egg yolk and olive oil in a bowl. Proceed to knead. Add lukewarm water and continue kneading. When the dough is homogeneous, keep it cool. Before washing the apples, peel them and cut them into quarters, removing the central core part. Set them aside, and baste them in lemon juice beforehand to prevent them from turning brown. Then in a large non-stick skillet, combine the butter and sugar intended to make the caramel. Stir gently with a wooden spatula and take care to avoid is becoming too brown. Remove from the heat and add the apple quarters. Cook over a low heat, with a lid, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, use butter to grease a pie dish. Pour in a little caramel from the apples, before arranging nicely in the pan. Add small pieces of salted butter and bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees. While they cook, spread the dough between two sheets of baking paper, so that it is 4mm think. After 20min of cooking, remove the dish from the oven, and let it cool slightly. Prepare the dough by cutting it in a round shape by pricking it with a fork. Then place it delicately over the apples. Tuck it well so that it covers them perfectly. Bake for 25 minutes. Wait for 5 minutes then take it out of the mold using another dish. Add apple or quince jelly to make it extra delicious, and serve it warm with a spoonful of crème fraîche.