|
Pastry
1
(17.3 ounce) package Pepperidge Farm®
frozen puff pastry
Apple Filling
1/2
cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
4 to 4 1/2 pounds Braeburn apples (about 8-9)
Toppings
Whipping
cream, crème fraîche or ice cream
1.
Take the frozen pastry out of the freezer and set the two
folded
sheets on a breadboard to thaw. Don't unfold them or
the
seams will break.
2. Set an 11-inch
oven-proof sauté pan over medium heat. Place
the
butter and sugar in the pan and stir occasionally while you
prepare the apples. Set the
timer for 15 minutes.
3. Peel the apples
while the sugar and butter melt into a delicious
caramel
color sauce. It will take about 15 minutes on medium,
so
keep the heat at that level to give you time to finish the
apples.
Stir the sugar now and then, it will be a thicker
consistency
almost like peanut butter and take on a light
caramel
color. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
4. Slice the apples
and remove any core. At this point, you can
either
get really fancy or make a more rustic tart. I prefer to
just
make a rustic tart and slice up the apples any old way.
You
can slice them all perfectly, but why? This dish will be
eaten
so fast, no one will even care if it looks perfect...ah, the
beauty
of good food. Place all the apple slices in a bowl.
When
the sugar reaches the caramel color, layer the apples
into
the pan. You will notice the color of the sugar darkening
almost
immediately. This does not mean it is burning. The
color
will continue to darken into a rich delicious sauce.
After
baking for 20 minutes...
5. Set the time for
25 minutes and cook the apples without
stirring
them for the full 25 minutes. You can occasionally tip
the
pan and use a large spoon to baste the other apple slices in
the
caramel syrup.
6. When the syrup
is thick, unroll the pastry and lay it out on the
bread
board. Keep one sheet in one piece and cut the other into
three
strips. Make a big square with all the pieces and then cut
out
a 12-inch circle. Prick with a fork and make four slits in
the
pastry to allow air to escape. Lay the pastry over the apples
in
the pan and then use a fork and spoon to press the edges
down
around the apples. This makes the edges so good!
7. Bake in the
preheated 425 oven for 20 minutes. Invert onto a plate.
8. Serve with one
of your favorite toppings.
Makes 6 servings
Just
wait until you taste this! This is how you serve Tarte Tatin,
you invert
it
onto a plate or I just invert it onto a 13-inch griddle. You might want
to
make two Tarte Tatins, if you are entertaining company!
Puff
Pastry that I've ordered...
Delicious Puff Pastry
Poached Pear Pastries , March 31, 2006
When you buy Puff Pastry made with butter, the crispiest
delicious results are immediately apparent. With the use of
anything less than butter you are left with a moist pastry
surrounded by layers of only crispy on the edges crust. The
difference in quality appears when you bake the Pastries and
each layer is crisp and when you bite into the pastry it doesn't
fall apart, but the layers are very defined.
The Artiko pastry is a timesaving solution and defrosts in an
hour in your refrigerator. One hour before making any recipe put
this in the refrigerator. Right before use, unfold the pastry
and cut out shapes as desired. Order 2 packets if you want as
much as pictured. The item that arrives looks about half the
width but is still 11" X 11". The item pictured looks
about 22" X 11".
You can make pastries very easily for dessert if you cut out
rounds with a scone/biscuit cutter - the ones with the serrated
edge. Then place a fruit filling in the center (pears, peaches,
apples, etc.) Moisten the edges with water, top with another
round of puff pastry (use a fork to seal the edges even more,
take a sharp knife and put a little slit in the top and then
bake at 350 degrees until risen or about 7-10 minutes. Then, you
can raise the temperature to about 415 degrees and brown them
slightly. I find this works well so I don't burn the pastries as
the pastry is made with butter. Just watch them carefully and
you should be able to monitor the baking process.
For a pear filling: Poach two sliced pears in 1 cup Burgundy,
cup orange juice, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon lemon zest,
1 teaspoon orange zest, 2 whole cloves, 3 tablespoons lemon
juice and 1/3 cup Muscovado sugar (or dark brown sugar). Simmer
on low for as long as it takes to cook the pears. They tend to
soak up the Burgundy and darken as they cook. You can poach the
pears whole, but this is faster.
This can be made a day ahead and cooled in the refrigerator.
Keep the pears in the sauce. The sauce is good to use the next
day and you can serve the pastries with dollops of sweetened
sour cream, confectioners' sugar and cinnamon sugar. These
poached pear pastries turn out rather good, but you could use
any fruit that is in season and adapt the recipe to suit your
mood. If you want to thicken the sauce even more, use a little
cornstarch and water. 1 teaspoon cornstarch plus water to thin
can be added to the hot sauce and it should thicken slightly,
enough to be used as a display sauce on which you can present
your pastry with dollops of cream.
~The Rebecca Review
|
