Tarte Tatin au sirop d’érable

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This tasty twist on the classic French recipe adds some maple syrup to the caramel mixture used to flavor the apples.  The recipe is from David Lebovitz’ new book, l’appart, about the ups and downs of buying and renovating his Paris apartment.  It’s a fun read and there are a dozen or so great new recipes.  This appears here with his permission.

Serves 8


Cooking the caramel.jpeg

Dough

1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons (60g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and chilled

3 tablespoons (45ml) ice water

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Fruit

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup (60g) packed light brown sugar (or half light brown and half dark brown sugar)

1/4 cup (60ml) dark amber pure maple syrup

Pinch of salt

8 medium (about 4 pounds) Golden Delicious apples

Centering the dough on the apples.jpeg

1. Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, and salt together. Add the butter and mix until the butter pieces are the size of corn kernels. Add the ice water and mix until the dough comes together. Gather the dough with your hands and shape it into a disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

2. In a 10-inch (25cm) cast-iron skillet, heat the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and salt. When the butter starts to bubble, cook, stirring gently, for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and set aside.

The baked tart.jpeg

3. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Arrange them in the pan, rounded side down, in concentric circles. Pack them in tightly—they’ll cook down considerably.

4. Place the pan on the stovetop and cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes, until the juices below the apples thicken.

5. Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C).

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6. On a lightly floured countertop, roll the dough into a 12-inch (30cm) circle. Trim the edges with a knife so they’re neat and drape the dough over the apples in the pan. Tuck the edges of the dough between the edge of the skillet and the apples.

7. Bake the tart until the pastry has browned, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and invert a serving plate or baking sheet over the pan. Being very careful of any hot juices that may spill out, quickly and surely flip the pan and the plate (or baking sheet) over together, making sure to tilt the pan away from you (so the juices don’t land on you) to unmold the tart. If any apples have stuck to the pan, reunite them with the tart.

8. Serve warm or at room temperature with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream. (If you want to increase the maple flavor, you can brush it with a little more maple syrup just before serving.)