29 September 2009

Masterchef Fever: Apple Tarte Tatin

As any Masterchef fanatic would know, Celebrity Masterchef begins tomorrow at 7.30pm on channel 10! I have my doubts whether it will be as successful as normal Masterchef, but we'll see how it goes...


To celebrate the return of Masterchef to our television-waves, I have tried and tested the Apple Tarte Tatin from the first pressure test and it turned out to be not so stressful after all hehe. I've made this a couple of times since it aired on tv and have made a few changes to the original recipe since at home we don't usually have a 45 minute time limit imposed on us!


The apples are deliciously soft and caramelised and the pastry has that lovely "crrrunch!" that Matt Preston seems to go on and on about. And of course, anything containing apples and pastry that's fresh out of the oven tastes even better when paired with vanilla ice cream ;)

Apple Tarte Tatin (Serves 4)
Recipe adapted from the Masterchef website

3 medium sized apples, peeled
10g butter
1/3 cup sugar
Cinnamon
1 sheet puff pastry

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC. Cut apples into quarters then core them so that they have a 'flat' side (I think we forgot to do these in the photos but it doesn't matter too much - it's just so the pastry sits nicely on top of the apples). Toss apples in 1 tablespoon of the sugar.


2. Melt butter in an oven-proof frying pan over medium-high heat. Add remaining sugar and shake so that it covers the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking until sugar dissolves.


3. Arrange apples tightly in the pan with the core side up. Cut up any leftover apple quarters to fill up the gaps if necessary. Sprinkle as much cinnamon as you want on top of the apples. Leave to cook for 5-10 minutes until caramel turns a golden colour.


4. Cut the pastry into a round slightly larger than your frying pan, and don't forget to prick it with a fork! Cover the apples with the pastry, tucking the edges into the pan. Bake in the oven for about 30-40 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden.


5. Rest for 10 minutes, then use your hands to slowly rotate the pastry in the pan. When it moves easily, put your serving plate on top of the pan and in one motion, flip it over. Remove the pan and your tarte tatin should be sitting happily in all its golden caramelised glory =D

3 comments:

  1. Great job! I remember that test and how some just didn't work out. Looks like yours worked a treat :)

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  2. Hee hee well done!! At least yours didn't stick to the pan ;)

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  3. Hi Lorraine - Thanks! I think I got lucky, plus I wasn't under severe time pressure like the contestants!

    Hi FFichiban - Thank you! Haha yeah it's like little a moment of truth when you take it out of the oven and try to turn the pastry ;)

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