Who doesn’t love a delicious tart or pie? We created this collection to share with our editor friends as well as to supply a stock imagery company in Europe.
Many of my favorite recipes are featured but there are also some new ones, like cranberry raspberry curd, too.
The dark apple tart is called “Tarte Tatin” and it has Provencal French roots. I learned to make it when I was a line cook in a 5 star restaurant when I was a teenager. I think I had a knack for making a beautiful caramel color without burning it so I was given the daily task of making it for service.
Here is the recipe for Tarte Tatin:
- 12 Granny Smith apples, peeled and quartered, core and stem removed
- 1 stick of butter
- 2/3 cup of sugar
- 1 large 12″ round of puff pastry dough
- 2 cups of whipped cream with a little vanilla extract
Prepare the apples and set to the side. Heat the butter and sugar in a large saute pan that is about 10-12″ in diameter. Stir it briefly.
Add the apples to the pan, tucking them in a circular fashion as though they are spooning. Cook them on a medium heat until the butter and sugar mixture turns to caramel. This will take about 15-20 minutes. You need to move it around on the stove so that it cooks evenly. If one side gets a little dark pull the pan off so that side is farther from the heating element.
It will take a while for the tart to get brown but once it does it goes fast!
After the caramel is golden and even you can remove the pan from the fire. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the puff pastry over the pan and tuck its edges under the apples with a rubber spatula.
Place the Tarte Tatin in the oven and allow to bake for 15-20 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown without any white creases.
Turn the tart upside down onto a baking sheet or plate. Take great care with this step because the pan is heavy and the caramel is hot. It is best to hold the pan on top of the skillet and then flip it. PLUS it is even better if the person doing the flip is strong!
When the tart cools slightly you can cut it and serve it with a creme chantilly. That is a fancy word for a whipped cream with a little vanilla and sugar added, but I usually skip the sugar on this since it is so sweet.
Here is a little video showing the apple tart cooking on my Instagram channel:
And here are the photos of the fall pies and tarts. The leaves are made from the extra dough that is leftover from the tarts. I used an epic set of Western Oak Leaf cutters from the SHED store in Healdsburg. Enjoy!
