Tarte Tatin is a classic French dessert of pastry and caramelised apples.
Tradition says that the dessert came about when one of the Tatin sisters at a hotel in France had to rescue an apple pie gone wrong. She placed pastry over nearly burned apples and served the pie upside down. The dish turned out to be so popular that a classic was born.
A Tatin is traditionally made in a special Tatin pan which can be used on top of the stove as well as in the oven. An ovenproof frying pan or a shallow cake pan can also be used. Loose-bottom pans are not suitable as the juice from the fruit will leak out.
A Tatin works just as well with savoury ingredients as it does with fruit.
Upside-down cakes, muffins and cheesecakes are great for dessert or tea time.
.
SAVOURY SUPPER TARTE TATIN
Serves 4-6
30ml oil
125g streaky bacon, diced
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
salt and pepper
10ml brown sugar
250g assorted mushrooms
30ml Marsala wine or dry sherry
180ml walnuts, coarsely chopped
8 dried figs, quartered
60ml thinly sliced fresh sage
100g blue cheese, crumbled
1 roll of good quality frozen puff pastry, defrosted
Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the bacon until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
Add onion to the pan and gently soften, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with sugar and stir for a minute. Transfer to a plate.
Add the mushrooms to the pan and brown for 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with Marsala or sherry.
Stir in the walnuts, figs and reserved bacon and onion.
Arrange the ingredients in a 26cm square cake tin.
Scatter with sage and crumbled blue cheese.
Unroll pastry, cut a square 2cm larger than the pan and place on top of the mushroom-onion mixture. Tuck in the edges and bake for 25 minutes, until golden.
Allow to stand for 5-10 minutes before turning out on to a plate.
Serve with extra blue cheese, if desired.
.
BEETROOT TARTE TATIN
Serves 6
SOUR CREAM PASTRY
750ml flour
250g cold butter, cubed
250g tub of sour cream
BEETROOT
15ml olive oil
2-3 red onions, peeled, halved and cut into wedges
30ml brown sugar
30ml balsamic glaze
8 small cooked beetroot, cut into wedges
fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper
1 sheet of frozen butter puff pastry, thawed, or home-made sour cream pastry
50g goat’s cheese or feta cheese crumbled
fresh mint leaves, to serve
PASTRY: Blend flour and butter in a food processor to resemble breadcrumbs. Add sour cream and blend until it forms a ball.
Knead lightly, cover in cling-film and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Makes enough for 2 tarts.
BEETROOT: Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions for 5 minutes over a medium heat. Add the sugar and balsamic glaze and fry until soft and caramelised.
Add the beetroot to the pan and fry for a few minutes to glaze. Add thyme to taste as well as salt and pepper.
Tip the beetroot and cooked onions into a 22cm shallow cake tin.
Roll out the pastry about 2cm bigger than the tin. Cover the beetroot with the pastry, tucking the sides down at the edges.
Cut a slit in the pastry and bake at 180°C for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and stand for 5 minutes before turning out on to a plate.
Scatter the cheese and mint leaves over the dish, then serve.
* Balsamic glaze is a a reduced mixture of balsamic vinegar and sugar and is sold in squeeze bottles at most supermarkets.
.
COOKIES AND CREAM CHEESE CAKES
Makes 12-14
12-14 cream-filled chocolate biscuits
500g thick cream cheese
180ml castor sugar
15ml grated lemon rind
60ml lemon juice
5ml vanilla extract
3 eggs, beaten
Line a muffin tray with paper liners. Place a biscuit in the base of each.
Beat the cream cheese and sugar until well combined.
Mix in the lemon rind, juice and vanilla.
Add the eggs and mix until combined.
Divide the mixture into the paper cups, filling them right to the top. Bake at 160ºC for 15-20 minutes or until set.
Take care not to over bake them. They should still have a slight wobble in the middle.
Remove and allow to cool, then refrigerate.
* If desired, you can chop up a few extra biscuits and drop them into the mixture before baking.
* I used Oreos.
.
BLUEBERRY, LEMON UPSIDE-DOWN MUFFINS
Makes 6 mega muffins or 12 normal ones
250g blueberries, fresh or frozen
500ml cake flour
15ml baking powder
180ml castor sugar
grated rind of 2 lemons
250ml buttermilk
100ml sunflower oil
2 eggs
SYRUP
80ml lemon juice
45ml sugar
Line the base of 6 mega muffin cups with a piece of non-stick baking paper. Spray well with non-stick cooking spray.
Divide the blueberries between the muffin cups.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the castor sugar and lemon rind and mix well.
Combine the buttermilk, oil and eggs and beat to combine. Add to the dry ingredients and mix gently until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated. Take care not to over mix.
Divide the mixture between the muffin cups. Bake at 180ºC for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out on to a rack.
Pour syrup over each muffin.
SYRUP: Combine ingredients and heat.
.
APPLE AND CRANBERRY TARTE TATIN
Serves 4-6
3-4 red apples
50g butter
50g castor sugar
1 vanilla pod, seeds removed
125ml dried cranberries
60ml orange juice
½ a batch of sour cream pastry ( see beetroot tarte tatin)
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Wash and core the apples. Cut into wedges.
Heat butter in an ovenproof frying pan over medium heat. Add the sugar, apples and vanilla seeds and cook gently for 10 minutes to caramelise, stirring to coat the apples. Remove from the heat and cool slightly before arranging the apples in a pattern in the pan.
Soak the cranberries in the orange juice. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Cool and drain. Arrange with the apples.
Roll the pastry out 2cm bigger than the pan. Cover the apples with the pastry, tucking the sides down at the edges. Bake, in the pan, for 20-30 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and stand for 5 minutes before turning out on to a plate.
The Star