The recipe below is based on the recipe we used in the restaurant.

Tarte Tatin

By Olivier Quinn

Serves 4 – 6

6  to 10 large Braeburn apples
10 inch puff pastry round
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, thinly sliced
1 cup sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

A few hours before cooking, peel the apples, cut them in 4, and cut out the cores.  Leave them out, uncovered so they can oxidize and dry out.

Preheat the oven to 400?F.  Layer the butter in the bottom of the pan and sprinkle the sugar and spice mixture over the butter.  Starting at the edge of the pan begin to layer the apple quarters around the pan, standing them upright.

Place the pan over medium heat. After a few minutes, move the pan around to allow the butter and sugar to dissolve and mix together.  Cook for about 10 minutes until the sugar begins to brown and then remove from the heat. 

Lay the Pastry over the pan and prick a few holes in the pastry with the end of a knife.  Tuck the edges inside.  Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and crisp.

Let the tart cool down a little before unmolding onto a plate.  If the apples are sticking to the pan then reheat the pan for few minutes to melt the caramel.

I like to pair the tart with my homemade ice cream flavored with Tahitian vanilla bean and lavender, but feel free to use your favorite vanilla ice cream, crème fraiche, mascarpone, fromage blanc or just whipped cream.

The holidays are once again upon us and it is that time of year when every cooking magazine has a picture of a roasted turkey on the cover.  I myself am not a great fan of holiday fare (especially the turkey,) so I will let you find your turkey recipe elsewhere.  I am here to talk to you about dessert.  This year I would like to persuade you to forego the standard pie selection from your local pie outfitter, who shall remain nameless, and enjoy my personal favorite holiday dessert, the Tarte Tatin.  This is a very simple upside-down apple tart, where the apples are the stars of the show.  Legend has it that it was invented by the Tatin sisters, who where the proprietors of a hotel in the Loire valley of France.
I have enjoyed Tarte Tatin in many restaurants, but the best I have experienced was at Gordon Ramsay Restaurant in Chelsea, London where I worked for a little while.  I think what made his so great where the apples.  We used Braeburns, which are sweet but also a little tart.  They are also firm, which allows them to hold their shape really well during baking.
The best cooking vessel for this tart is a copper Tarte Tatin Pan.  They are usually about 9 1/2 inches in diameter.  They can be somewhat expensive, so if you can’t get your hands on one, you can always use a pie dish or even a cast iron skillet.  The cast iron is a bit tricky though when you are trying to unmold the tart.
Chef Olivier Quinn is the owner of Truffles, a private fine dining company. For more information about Truffles, visit the website at www.trufflesfinedining.com or call Olivier at 661-799-9115.