La Tarte Tatin Recipe One of these classics in cuisine is the ‘Tarte Tatin’. A simple idea that has stood the test of time, originally made with apple, many chefs today have taken this classic and use pears or many other fruits or even make savoury variations on the theme. But they are still all based on the original dish that was created in the 19th century by Stephanie Tatin. Stephanie and her younger sister Caroline took over the running of the family hotel, aptly named ‘Hotel Tatin’ on the death of their father; Jean in 1888. Made with just four basic ingredients, this is a sure to impress dessert that can be ‘knocked’ up in no time. It does however require a frying pan that can be placed in the oven, so that old one that you have knocking around, you know the one, the one who’s handle fell off but has never been thrown out. How did I know you have one? Am I psychic? Nope, not at all, but every home kitchen seems to have one! Well now you have a reason to keep it and more to the point use it, but a good scrub up will mean being able to take it to the table and turn the Tarte Tatin out in front of your guests. Wonderfully rustic, extremely rich, serve it for brunch, lunch or as a dessert after a dinner. Try it with some clotted cream, crème fraiche, marscapone, some thick farmhouse yoghurt or slices of aged cheddar! Yes I kid you not, apple tart or pie of any kind is just superb with cheddar! Oh and do not be put off how small it is, a 20cm tart will serve six people…it is that rich! So lets stay with the classical and original version, try it and then let your imagination go and try the method with other ingredients besides apples:     bananas     pears,     peaches     tomatoes     roasted capsicums Ingredients Cox's apples (must be tart/sour) 5 pc butter (room temperature) 150 gm castor sugar 250 gm puff pastry - 22 cm round/3mm thick 1 sq Method     1.  Pre-heat oven to 200ºC     2.  Roll out the pastry approx. 3mm thick and cut into a circle big enough to cover the base of a frying pan with a 2cm overlap to allow for a ‘crust’     3.  Peel, core and cut the apples in half     4.  Lightly cover the base of frying pan with butter and sprinkle liberally with the castor sugar     5.  Arrange the apple halves in a circular fashion (with the cut side face down) and place on a medium to low heat until a very light caramel is obtained     6.  Carefully cover with the pastry round and tuck in the edges, bake at 200ºC for approximately 15 minutes : until the pastry has risen and turned golden brown     7.  Remove from the oven and with a knife ensure the pastry has not stuck to the sides and the caramel is fully formed     8.  Turn upside down onto a serving plate, the pastry is served as the base and the apples should be sitting on it all wonderfully caramelised and arranged. So before lifting the pan ensure the apples are not stuck to the pan, if they are, gently prise them off with a palate knife. Chef's Tip     The secret to this dish is heat control. Care must be taken not to burn the caramel but also to ensure that a caramel is formed. If on removing the tart from the oven you believe the butter and sugar has not caramelised fully, place it over a low flame until it does.     Care must be taken when turning it over as the caramel will be at 150ºC and can cause severe burns. Chef Jos Wellman Tutor, author and restaurateur New Zealand   Read also: Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe  Super Chocolate Cookies Recipe Chocolate Ganache   Most Perfect Chocolate Cake Recipe Tiramisu Recipe     Jewish Coffee Cake Recipe