Skip to main content

Tarte Tatin (gluten-free) with homemade vanilla ice cream


This is an absolute favorite comfort food, so simple and so tricky at the same time !  I'll get to the tricky part in a minute.

As you may know, the legend says that this was a mistake, one of the Tatin sisters accidentally dropped the tarte and it flipped over, resulting in this famous version of caramelized apples on top of a crust.  (The only time I accidentally flipped a cake, it in no way became a legend). However, this legend has been debunked as the sisters weren't known to be clumsy, on the contrary they were known to be the astute business owners of a highly reputed restaurant.  Originally from the  central Sologne region of France, this tarte seems to go back generations, sometimes made with apples, sometimes pears, the recipe handed down for generations.

So back to this week's celebration cake, since September is a birthday month for me, as well as for some of my closest friends, I thought why not make this a birthday cake, even if it's not your typical layer cake with icing, it is one of the most delicious cakes.  

And as luck would have it, it was a glorious day for pictures the other day, with the apples in a neighbor's orchard as a backdrop and so photo-op worthy, I set up there.  No dogs were set off towards us.  Every moment was a delicious photo-op.  And so was the tarte.

Here's the crust recipe : 
100 g softened butter
150 g flour (or gluten-free flour with xathan gum)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons milk (as needed)
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, mix sugar and butter, add cream and all other ingredients.  Knead until smooth, then refrigerate.

6-7 Golden or Granny apples (apples that stay firm when cooked and don't disintegrate). Peeled, cored and cut in half.

Caramel :
1/2 cup brown sugar
30 g butter
2 tablespoons cream

Simmer the caramel in a pan over medium heat by stirring together the butter, brown sugar, and cream until slightly bubbling. Add the apples, cook about 4-5 minutes on each side or until apples can bend slightly.


Here’s a trick I’ve learned: lay the apples, curved side down in a pan so they overlap slightly so even if they shrink somewhat, they are still packed together as they cook. Pour the remaining caramel over them. Roll out the dough to a 1/4 inch thickness and cover the entire pan of apples while tucking in the edges, making sure not to leave any open spaces along the edges (to cook apples in a completely covered crust)

Bake in 220 degrees C / 375 F about 35 minutes or until dough is cooked and light brown and apples have cooked completely (test with a toothpick). Remove from oven and leave to cool about 30 minutes.  

Here's the tricky part, flip it over while the pan is still warm and the caramel hasn't solidified so the apples don't stick to the pan.  When you can hold the pan without burning yourself, cover the pan with a serving dish, and turn over. Seems simple enough right? Do this quickly but precisely. I’ve burned myself more than once when I didn't wait for the pan to cool off to the touch. When too hot and I've used oven mitts, it wasn't precise enough and it wasn't easy to get a grip, so kind of scary.  You give it a try, maybe you'll get it on the first try!

Serve with fresh thick cream or even more deadly, vanilla ice cream.

See my post for ice cream (or here's the 2-ingredient ice cream recipe) : 

2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
1/2 vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 14-oz can (396 g) sweetened can condensed milk
A pinch of salt.

Whip the cream, fold in the condensed milk with vanilla.  Pour into containers and allow to set overnight in the freezer.

Scoop a bit over the warm tarte tatin.  Enjoy, everyone !



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cotton sponge cake with strawberries and cream cheese frosting

My kids had a birthday to celebrate so I made the cakes and they decorated. I used to do this when my children were small, set up a table for them to decorate cookies or gingerbread houses, even had parties like this, and to this day, they like assembling treats and are good cooks. Here's the batter recipe I often use which you can find in my other recipes (mocha sponge, apple cider cake...) : Cotton sponge cake recipe : 4 eggs, separated 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar 1-1/4 cup (180 g) cake flour 3/4 cup (150 g) confectioner's sugar 1/4 cup cider (60 g) (French kind, or 4.5% alcohol) or beer or carbonated water 1/4 cup (60 g) sour cream (or thick cream) 1/4 cup (60 g) milk (as needed) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt Preheat oven to 180° F / 350° C.  Line pan with parchment paper.  I used a 7" spring-form pan and a small fluted brioche mold. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Add granulated sugar a little at a time and continue...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fluffiest cinnamon rolls, with yogurt cream frosting

I must say this is the most wonderful cinnamon rolls dough I've discovered to date. Light, fluffy, delicious, what more could you ask for?  I filled half the dough with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts, while the other half was filled with some homemade strawberry jam. Here is the recipe for the dough, inspired by Foodess.com, which has the best explanation for the dough, go to the website for more info.  I will always use this dough to make these buns from now on. 240 ml warm milk 2 large eggs 570 g all-purpose flour 100 g sugar 2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 115 g unsalted butter (softened) Cinnamon filling 200 g brown sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon 115 g softened butter 1/2 cup nuts (cashews, walnuts, almonds...) Strawberry jam 12-15 strawberries 50 g sugar (or more if you like it sweeter) 1 tablespoon of cornstarch Cut strawberries in 1/4 or 1/8ths and simmer with the sugar until softened, about 3-5 minutes.  Add a spoonful of this in a cup with the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Strawberry & raspberry amaretti cheesecake

Is there such a thing as baking too many cheesecakes?  Because, really, cheesecakes take time to master.  And just when you think you've got it down, you mess one up because there is a "tour de main" or trick to making them and it's all about... jiggliness!  It's mastering the right cooking time, because all our ovens are different, the right cream cheese, as they're different in every country, the right amount of setting ingredient (flour or cornstarch...), etc. I've made many versions because there are no-bake varieties (these are the most tricky in my opinion because of the gelatin or setting factor) or the oven-baked kinds (with or without a water bath).  The following version is the most straightforward and fuss-less variety I've encountered, I made this cheesecake readily with ingredients I had at home. Here is what I used :  Cookie crust :  150 g or 1 cup mix of butter cookies and amaretti,  30 g sugar,  50 g butter,  1/4 teaspoon...
Post a Comment
Read more