Ooh La La... delicious Tarte Tatin

WITH its sumptuously dark and sticky caramel, sweet apples and crisp pastry, the heavenly French tarte Tatin, is the result of one of the culinary world’s most glorious and fortuitous mistakes.

An invention of accident, the delectable dessert was created by French hotelier, Stephanie Tatin in the 1880s when, overburdened with work, she set about making an apple pie but forgot the pastry.

Smelling the burning apples in butter, Stephanie tried to rescue the dish by putting the pastry base over the top of the fruit and quickly finished off the cooking by placing the entire pan in the oven.

Et voila! The tarte Tatin, or upside-down apple tart was invented.

With Michelin star credibility, talent and flair, the former head chef of The Euroa Butter Factory’s Chez Clemence, Richard Hayes generously shares his version of the tarte Tatin with The Adviser, and we could not be more pleased.

Ingredients

• 8 pink lady apples

• 100g sugar

• 100g softened butter

RECIPE

1. Preheat oven to 180°C

2. Peel and core apples.

• Sheet of butter puff pastry

• Crème fraiche to serve

3. Leave uncovered apples in fridge overnight, place butter and sugar in a 20cm fry pan or sauté pan.

4. Stand the apples up and fan out clockwise and adding two apple halves to the middle

5. Once the apples are placed in the pan, apply high heat and melt the sugar and butter under the apples into a caramel, using tongs to rotate them regularly to prevent sticking and until a dark caramel is formed. As the apples cook, they will lose volume and as gaps appear between the fruit, fill them with more apple halves.

6. Once a dark caramel is achieved (its ok if the bottom of the apples burns a little) remove them from the heat and let for 10 minutes.

7. Use a similar size bowl to the pan to cut around of puff pastry, cut some vent holes and use a fork to score the pastry.

8. Apply the pastry to the apples and push down around the sides.

9. Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes

10.Turn oven down to 160°C and bake a further 25 minutes Let pan sit for 30 minutes to cool once baked.

11. Apply to stove shortly to add heat to the pan and shake the pan lightly to move apples, this helps the apples come off the bottom.

12. Place a plate over the pan and flip over. Remove the pan and you have a tarte Tatin.

13.Bon appetite!