The simple things…. Apple Tarte Tatin.

They say the simple things in life are always the best. How true!

The french are renown for their simple style of cooking that uses seasonal produce and simple ingredients, and yet once complete, it becomes a culinery masterpiece. They are also renown for their love of butter and not skimping on fats and sugars. Everything in moderation- love this thought!

Last Friday night, I had a craving for something sweet but didnt have the energy nor a full pantry to bake a fancypants dessert.  It was coming onto dinnertime and we had 'zoo hours' to contend with. Desserts are a treat in our house (believe it or not….we actually dont eat it daily despite what you might see on this blog!). Because of a very wet week, a few days away and incredibly tired people (both big and small), tonight was about getting the kids to bed early and  flopping on to the couch with something warm and sweet to indulge in and totally relaxing.

So with keeping in mind our limited food supply and options, what time of night it was and my yearning for something sweet and delicious, my eyes roamed the kitchen desperately seeking some inspiration. Thankfully, there in front of me was a bowl of apples. I couldnt be bothered baking a cake nor making pastry. Then I was hit by a bolt of lightning- Apple tart tatin.

Something I haven't cooked in ages and yet ticked all the boxes….Simple ingredients- apples, butter, sugar and frozen pastry and super quick to make…..Bam! Night sorted.

Simple really is best - Don't you just love the french x

Apple Tarte Tatin

1-2 frozen sheets Puffed pastry
75g sugar
150g butter
4-5 apples- I used Red delicious instead of the traditional Granny Smiths
1 egg- for eggwash

Preheat oven to 190 degrees celcius.

Pull out pastry sheets from freezer and let thaw on bench.

Peel and core apples then cut into halves or quarters- your choice!

Heat an ovenproof frypan (about 22 cm in diameter), add butter and melt. Add sugar and stir for 5-10 minutes. Keep stirring and watching this mix so it doesnt catch and burn. I find this process is broken into three phases- so dont give up because you think it isnt working. It will if you just keep stirring and watching the pan. First phase- the butter and sugar mix looks pale, thick and when you stir it, it has a similar consistency to when you make a roux. Next phase, the mix becomes even lighter and starts to foam a bit. Again, keep stirring and just check the stove top isn't too hot- adjust if needed. Within a few minutes this foamy mix will start to darken and melt into a caramel. When it turns a fudge colour, add your apple pieces and toss each one in the caramel until all have been added and pan is full. Cook on a low heat for another few minutes. As you add the apples you may notice some of the caramel becomes toffee. This will melt down once apples warm through- its just the caramel reacting with cold/room temperature fruit. The juices from the apples will release and stop the caramel from cooking further.

Take pan off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Gently place the pastry over the top and tuck the sides into the pan so that it encases the apples completely.

Brush pastry with some egg wash then place into the oven and cook for about 20 minutes, or until pastry has risen and is golden brown.

Best served straight from the oven, with cream, ice cream or our favourite…custard.

Note- I left my caramel to long in pan before adding apples and so the colour of my tarte tatin is slightly darker then it should be. Ideally aim for a dark golden colour. 

You can also substitute any other fruit you might instead of apples…try pears, bananas (yum- a cheats banoffee pie!), rhubarb, quince….whatever you have in the bowl! My only tip would be not to use fruit that is too over ripe as they will lose shape when cooking and break down as if stewing. The whole visual impact of the tarte tatin is to see the whole pieces of fruit.

Making the caramel is the most labour intensive part of this dish- it actually sounds more demanding then it really is. For the novice caramel maker, its a bit like driving somewhere for the first time- it seems to take a while. But once youve made the trip and know what to look out for along the way- each trip after that is a breeze. Dont be put off- its really not tricky or time consuming at all. And so incredibly worth it!

Josephine's Plum Clafoutis

A few weeks ago, I had a lovely email from a lady named Josephine. Josephine was keen to bake the Nectarine, Raspberry & Almond Cake but just wanted to double check the quantities in the recipe. I had (possibly in my sleep deprived state) made a typo and was so pleased and appreciative to have that bought to my attention. Thank you Josephine…. xxxx

Josephine emailed back a few days later to say she had baked the cake and it was a huge hit amongst friends….Hooray!. She had also baked an Apricot Clafoutis- which as I confessed to Josephine, I had heard about but never baked. I was now on a mission to bake one.

So, last weekend, we headed down to our local farmers markets and stocked up on fruit and vege. My bargain buys of the day were kilo bags of peaches, nectarines and plums for $2.50 each. The stall holder told me the plums were a tart variety- perfect for stewing or a ……clafoutis! Perfecto!!! It was mean't to be.

For those who dont know, Clafoutis (prenounced Kla-foo-tee) is a rustic looking french dessert, traditionally made with cherries (but any fruit can be used) and baked in a pancake/custard like mixture.  The recipe I used I found here. I also came across this video demonstration here which was helpful too.

The verdict- it was a lovely and pure comfort food! The plums just oozed into the baked custard and tasted so sweet. As you can see there was no time to dust icing sugar on top- actually truth is, we didn't have any in the pantry! We ate it warm with lots of custard. I will say though the mixture was more like a baked custard and not like a super thick pancake.

It was the perfect afternoon tea snack for my not very clean little artist!

Thank you again to Josephine for your lovely email- it made my day receiving it.

And thank you also for the heads up on the Clafoutis!

As the french say…Bon Appetit x

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Guest Post- Leigh's Herb and Pancetta Poached Chicken

Today I am very lucky to have Leigh from ChitChatChomp as my first Guest blogger on Townmouse Countrymouse. ChitChatChomp is a lovely blog filled with delicious, french inspired recipes and the most gorgeous photos, that will leave you salivating and wishing Leigh lived at your home. Leigh's style of cooking is based on keeping it simple, using seasonal ingredients and giving it a french twist. Even if you're not into cooking, this blog is definitely still worth a visit for the visual feast your eyes will be treated too, the lovely french stories that go with each recipe and the other interesting travel pieces Leigh enjoys writing about. Leigh describes herself as "a Melbourne based Taurean, home cook, amateur photographer and a lover of all things french!"- I just love her style of cooking and am in love with her photography (definitely not amateur!!!).

I hope you enjoy Leigh's post as much as I have…..

Being someone who lives and breathes recipes and food, I'm often asked what my favourite type of food is to cook.  Funnily enough, it's not the easiest question for me to answer as it completely depends on the season, time of day and of course the biggest factor, my mood.

If it's a mid-week meal during Summer, I love nothing better than experimenting with salads, and at the moment it's the ones that contain lentils that have me drooling.

A lazy weekend on a cooler day, I can guarantee you that my oven will be on and something yummy and soothing will be inside bubbling away.

However, there seems to be a few common links that bring most of the food that I love to cook together:

1.  Simplicity

2.  Fresh, organic produce

3.  A tilt towards French flavours

Herb and Pancetta Poached Chicken

  

Oh la la!

Light enough for a Spring/Summer evening, yet hearty enough to satisfy anyone on a cooler night, rugged up under a blanket with a wine in hand.

A dish that also freezes and defrosts beautifully!

You asked me what I like to cook, well....voila!

Special thanks to Leigh for this lovely post.

All photos taken by Leigh.

These and many more can be found on ChitChatChomp.

Are you a lover of all things french???