Double feature: Today I am HONORED to be doing a guest blog for book author/photographer/blogger Kristin Espinasse, at her enormously popular
French-Word-a-Day site (www.french-word-a-day.typepad.com), about her life in Provence and her love of language. When you visit, be sure to check out her books, they’re really special. They make fabulous gifts, I’ve given them to all my friends on both sides of the pond.
At French-Word-A-Day you can read a little story about Nicole that is very dear to my heart, which I’ve called “Love & a Tarte Tatin”. Meanwhile, 200 miles north in Burgundy, I’ll tell you another story: a quirky history of Tarte Tatin, that legendary French treat, and the Tatin sisters who started it all.
Our story begins in the late 1800’s in a small town in the Loire valley with two sisters, unmarried, who ran a small hotel. At the desk was the youngest, the tender-hearted Caroline Tatin. Every pensionnaire of the hotel considered her a friend, and many sought her out for confidential advice on affairs of the heart.
The older sister, Stéphanie Tatin, took care of the cooking, and she could be found at any time of day working the stove with her big copper pots. Her specialty was tarte aux pommes, that traditional French apple pie, which she served crunchy and caramelized, with melted sugar and butter.
One day when she was preparing lunch in a bit of a hurry, by mistake Stéphanie put the
apples and sugar in the pan without putting the crust in first. In a rush she threw the crust on top, baked it a bit too long, then turned it out on a plate, upside down, not bothering to let it cool as she usually did. Et voila, the delicious tarte tatin was born.
Ah, but then the intrigue begins! Maxim’s, the famous Paris restaurant, got wind of the popularity of the tart, and engaged a chef to pose as a gardener and steal the recipe. It has been on their menu ever since.
If you’ve read the guest blog at French-Word-a-Day, you know by now that the best tarte tatin on the planet is made by our own châtelaine, Nicole. I’m privileged to present you with her formerly secret recipe.
RECIPE: Nicole’s Incomparable Tarte Tatin
For the filling:
6 medium sized apples, cored & peeled. Cut 4 in half, 2 in quarters.
(Nicole says any apple will do, and she sometimes mixes varieties. Traditionally it’s made with firm dessert apples, not cooking apples).
2 ½ T. butter, melted (30g)
¾ cup sugar (150g)
For the crust:
1 stick of butter, (120g), softened
1/3 cup sugar (75g)
1 egg
1 2/3 cup flour (250g)
Crème fraiche, or whipped cream
NOTE: Plan this dessert so you take it out of the oven about an hour before you are ready to serve it. It is always served warm.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Your pan should be about 8 inches (20cm) in diameter and at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep (Nicole uses a heavy pottery dish. We southern girls would use a cast iron skillet). Swirl the melted butter around the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the butter. Arrange the apple halves, cut side down, on top of the sugar. Fill in spaces with the quarters. Cook about an hour; apples will brown lightly.
Meanwhile, make pastry:
Cream butter and sugar together until well blended. Add egg, mix well. Stir in flour to make a dough. On floured surface, form dough into a long cylinder, cut into thirds, and pile up the 3 pieces. Mix/knead them together with your hands until blended. Repeat 2 more times. Roll out to circle a little larger than your pan; dough will be a tad bit thicker than a normal piecrust.
When apples are done, cover apples with dough and tuck in edges around apples. Bake 50 minutes more. Set pan out to cool, for 1 hour.
Just before serving, Cover pan with plate and flip pan and plate together carefully, turning tarte out onto plate. Serve with cream.
As the French say: miam miam!
Picture of the Tatin Hotel courtesy of http://web.archive.org/web/20021121201746/http://www.tarte-tatin.com/, where you can also read the story in French (or one version—there are variations of this oft-told tale).
Charleston Shrimp & Grits is a low country classic recipe, one of my favorites. Go to the fantastic expat newsletter at American Market, http://www.myamericanmarket.com, to get my recipe for it, and to read about the trials (and joys) of grocery shopping in France. And, fellow expats, you can buy your American ‘comfort food’ there!
12 thoughts on “A Sweet History of the Quintessential & Accidental French Tart”
Good Morning!
I just read your guest blog entry at Kristi’s blog!
Living in Tennessee, and lovin’ most things French, I was delighted to read your blog. I love your entries on cooking. I can’t wait to try Nicole’s Tarte Tatin 🙂
~Debbie Turner Chavers
I can’t wait to try this recipe. My daughter-in-law made a tarte tatin, it was delicious. I’ve sent her this recipe. They’re visiting next week, maybe I can convince her to make it while she’s here.
I just joined your “blob”. It sounds like so much fun to live in a chateau with Nichole and Pierre, and get to meet so many of their neighbors. Very envious!
Being French, reading your recipes in shakespearian English langage makes them sound kind of weird but, still, I recognize “my” tarte Tatin just I cook it myself.
Your pictures are just lovely and beautiful and reading your stories telling of our “French way of live” through your expat eyes is quite interesting and moving…
Great blog
Hi, Lynn.
Can all of these recipes be found in one spot of your “blop”?
Thanks.
Karen
Bonjour Lynn!
I so envy you your French dream! I read your post to French-Word-a-Day this morning and navigated from there to your site. Then, I quickly read through every one of your “blobs” and subscribed to your weekly message.
You are SO talented – it is not surprising to discover that you are an incredible cook and homemaker since you are a former editor for Better Homes & Gardens. Since you have been an editor, it is not even too surprising that you have a knack for writing very enjoyable stories. But it is your photos that are truly amazing. Each one is more beautiful, and beautifully composed, than the last!
I immediately sent your link to two friends of mine — a French cook in Tucson who makes a most delicious tarte tatin and a girlfriend in Alaska who absolutely adores them!
Your recipe for the French salad dressing made me smile. I stay with some friends in Annecy when I visit France, and I begged the recipe for the classic dressing in the moutarde jar. I keep one in my fridge now too, full of the amazing flavors!
I look forward to seeing your weekly message in my mailbox. Merci, merci, merci! Jacki in Boise, ID
I too read the guest blog at French word-a-day and enjoyed it. You might be interested in a recent blog of ours in which we mused about the fact that many Frenchwomen don’t bake cakes (tarts, yes, but not cakes). We’d be interested in your take on this subject:
http://awomansparis.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/desperately-seeking-julie-enfant/
Philippa
All your recipe tidbits sound delicious…not so much a “blob” as a “dollop”!
A special thank-you to your friend Nicole for very kindly sharing her wonderful recipe for tarte tartin!
I just forgot a trick,instead of crème fraîche over even with it, you can serve your pie with a scoop of vanilla scoop when it is still lukewarm… Miam, miam there too
Oups, sorry, vanilla icecream of course…
I have read your recent post about french dressing recipe . Your husband is right talking of recipe #1 as I know one that could be called #2 and that I use for most of my salads.
This is then how I prepare it. Basically it’s globally the same but with some significant differences.
First, I use cut slices of shallot plus tiny slices of gherkins or pickles as you say in the US and mix them together
Then, I pour some olive oil or walnut oil and vinaigne de framboise (easily found in any store in France), I stir the pickles and shallots together with the oil / vinegar mixture
At this stage, I add a spoon or two of moutarde de Dijon and some poivre du moulin (you know, the one with the grinder so you can grind the amount you want) with some sel de Noirmoutier ou Guermantes (That salt has a grainy structure and “stronger” that the common type: Sel de table, so be careful when you use it)
I use no sugar because of vinaigre de framboise that is slightly sugared by itself
Just before serving, I may add some parsley leaves finely cut depending on your filling, it’s just fine if you use tomato and potato slices in your salad and that’s it
I think it’s worth trying this and you tell your husband he can call it #2 french dressing
Every quantity of ingredients depend on how big your salad is but like we say in France, c’est au pif que l’on pratique (you may ask your friend for an accurate translation), that means when it feels good to you, you just stop adding things…
Lynn, what a find your blog is…and you can be sure I’ll be reading every entry. My husband and I are planning a three week visit to Provence, travelling up to Alsace in late September/early October. And thank you for the recipes….I am going to be trying them very soon! Good luck to you on your blob, and thanks for taking the time to write it and show us your lovely photos.
Hi Lynn,
It’s your “interviewer” from Georgia…I enjoy your blog so much and wanted to let you know I made a modified version of Nicole’s Tarte Tatin last night and it was delicious! Everyone raved over it and it’s so easy. I added some pears and cheated a little on the pastry, but still yummy. And, I make the French dressing pretty much weekly.
So enjoy living vicariously through you and your beautiful photos.
Rebecca Brewer