I’ve made this now for pretty much everyone I know because it’s easy. I am not good at puddings a) because I don’t generally eat them, b) because I can’t generally make them, and c), and d). But this is very easy if you are looking for something that is simple and makes you look way more talented than you are (in my case).
What to use – serves 6
- All butter puff pastry – I use the 375g Jus Rol block and it was easily enough – you could make a bigger version of the tarte than I did, or two small versions
- 2-3 apples – I used Braeburn (or 2-3 pears or a mix of both)
- 40g unsalted butter
- 40g demerera sugar – but you could use any type
- ground ginger, cinammon, lemon juice – you could add any of these when cooking the fruit
- Cream to serve with – single, double, clotted, iced, vanilla, (NOT salad)
How to use it
First, the pastry needs to come out of the fridge 30 mins before using it. This is to stop it shrinking when you’ve rolled and cut it to size.
Put the oven on to 200C (fan).
Peel, core and quarter the fruit. Do this only when you’re ready to cook the tarte or it’ll go brown.
I do this in a small (20cm) non-stick frying pan that can also go into the oven without melting. You could use a tarte tartin dish if you have one because, after all, they’re designed for it.
Melt the butter in the pan and then add the sugar and bring to a simmer. Let it bubble so the sugar melts, stirring all the while – about 5 mins. I tried to follow a recipe that had a LOT of sugar (3x the amount I now use) and it was a disaster. So my approach was to go with what looked right for the size of the pan, and I do 50:50 butter and sugar. The butter/sugar mix will form the glaze for the fruit.
I tasted it to make sure the ratio used produced something that was sweet rather than buttery but do BLOW it before you taste. I almosthe didn’t and boiling thugar ith not thomething you want to thuck on.
Put the fruit in the pan and cook it for about 10 mins til soft, turning now and again in the syrupy mixture.
When the fruit is soft (but not squishy) turn off the heat. Arrange it so that the ‘top’ curved side of the fruit – ie what you want people to see – is facing the bottom of the pan.
Roll out your pastry and cut a circle a couple of centimetres larger than the width of the pan. Gently lower the pastry over the fruit and tuck down the sides of the pan.
Put it in oven for 25-30 mins. When it’s ready, take it out and leave it for a couple of minutes. Then take a spatula and gently go round the edges easing the tarte pastry away from the sides. Then take a plate, put it face down over the pan and turn it over. The tarte should pop out directly on to the plate.
Eat with oodles of cream.
Mmm rating: mm mm mm
Cost for whole tarte: £2.80
Calories: billions
What to listen to: Uncertain Smile – The The. Piano heaven from 3:25 on.
What to watch: The Great British Bake Off – obvs – though you’d never get away with Jus Rol with Mary
eatburpsleep 