Desserts

Tarte Tatin

The delicious recipe of Tarte Tatin owes its origins to an accidental discovery. According to legend, it dates back to the late 19th century when the Tatin sisters ran a hotel and restaurant in Lamotte-Beuvron. Caroline was in charge of hospitality, while Stéphanie was the cook. Stéphanie’s specialty was a caramelized and delightfully tender apple tart.

One busy afternoon, a mishap occurred. In her haste to fulfill a customer’s request, Stéphanie forgot to add the pastry base before placing the tart in the oven, fearing the lack of dessert. As the apples began to caramelize, and unsure of how to remedy her mistake, she took a sheet of pastry and laid it over the preparation. Though somewhat dismayed during the serving, the cook had the idea to take a dish, flip everything over, and thus, the Tarte Tatin was born !

Ingredients 

For the crust : 

• 2 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the garnish:

• 5 apples
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Prepare the crust by putting the flour in a bowl with a pinch of salt and the sugar. Then put the softened butter (i.e. the butter should be soft but not melted) into the bowl and mix to obtain a sandy texture. Finally, add the water to bind the mixture and form a ball (set aside).
2. Peel and quarter the apples, then cut the quarters in half. Don’t forget to remove the core.
3. To make the caramel, heat the butter in a saucepan and gradually add the sugar. Stir until you obtain a brown caramel (make sure it is not bitter).
4. As soon as the caramel is ready, pour it into a pie dish and quickly arrange the apples in the mould (forming a rosette), taking care to press them tightly together. Put the pie dish on the heat and cook the apples for 10 minutes to allow the caramel to soak in (you can add the cinnamon at this point).
5. When the cooking time is over, take the shortcrust pastry that you have rolled out and cover the apples with the pastry, tucking the edges in if they overhang. Bake for 20 minutes at 360°F (at least until the pastry is cooked). Once out of the oven, take a plate, turn the tart over and enjoy!

Chocolate Fondant

Chocolate fondant was invented by Michel Bras in 1981. The original recipe was based on a core of ganache that was frozen and then incorporated into a biscuit dough. The recipe was subsequently simplified and the principle of two doughs at two temperatures is now often abandoned in favour of a single biscuit dough with a high chocolate content.

Even simplified, mastering chocolate fondant, and especially baking it, is no less tricky: if you fail the first time, it’s normal, but persevere, the result is worth it!

Ingredients

• 1 chocolate bar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoon flour
• 5 eggs

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 360°F (gas mark 6). Melt the chocolate and butter in a bain-marie over a low heat, or in the microwave on the “defrost” programme.
2. Meanwhile, separate the egg yolks from the egg whites.
3. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Set aside for later.
4. When the chocolate-butter mixture has melted, add the egg yolks and whisk.
5. Stir in the sugar and flour, then add the egg whites without breaking them.
6. Butter and flour a cake tin and pour in the cake batter.
7. Place in the oven for 20 minutes.
8. When the cake is cooked, leave to cool before removing from the tin.