Apple tarte tatin

I CAME across this recipe for apple tarte tatin while working for Gordon Ramsay at the London Hotel in New York.
It is rich in colour and flavour, an age-old recipe that is all about the method.
There is no “molecular cuisine” just the emphasizing of beautiful ingredients by respecting a great traditional technique. This is something I believe a lot of chefs currently working have lost – the ambition to master and perfect the basics.
Most of the recipes I have produced in this column remind me of happy times in my life but for this one I cannot say the same.
I entered Gordon Ramsay as a sous chef in pastry. The opening of the London was the most talked about opening in New York and everyone wanted to work for him.
The opening team was incredible – 13 sous chefs, three executive sous chefs, one pastry chef and two head chefs (Josh Emett, currently hosting Master Chef New Zealand, being one of them).
We had five commis chefs in pastry, three of whom are now Michelin-starred pastry chefs in their own right.
It was all very grand. The food was incredible, like none I had seen or tasted before. Because most of the sous chefs and all the head chefs had been brought from England the food was very different to anything I had cooked before. It was fresh and exciting.
I was in love with this new adventure so I gave it everything I had. Our days started at 7am and finished at around 1 am. After having one day off every other week for six months I became fairly burnt out. My creative ambition turned into frustration and tiredness and after a year I left, a stone lighter but with some great stories and this tart tatin recipe.

APPLE TART TATIN
For the American puff pastry
280g Butter, cold and cubed
340g Plain flour
8g Salt
9g Sugar
70g Water
30g Eggs
Make sure all ingredients are chilled

Method
In a mixer with paddle (or with cold, dry hands if you don’t have a mixer), mix the butter and flour until it is grainy with small lumps of butter still visible. Be careful not to over-mix.
Whisk together the salt, sugar, water, and eggs then add this to the flour/butter and mix until it comes together.
Press into a rough square an inch or so thick and wrap well in clingfilm.
Chill for at least three hours, preferably overnight.
Take the mix out of the fridge and, on a clean, sturdy surface roll into a thin rectangular sheet until it is about 5mm thick. The dough will be extremely stiff initially but will become easier to roll as you work it. To begin with you may want to beat it with the rolling pin until it becomes “rollable” – this is good for relieving tension too. Try to roll it long ways but not out – you want to end up with a long rectangle, not a square or a circle.
Fold the rectangular sheet in three – making it more like a square again, give it a quarter turn (turn it through 90°) and roll it into a rectangle again.
Repeat this three times leaving the pastry to rest in the fridge for around 20 minutes after each fold. It is important that you follow this diligently as this is how you build up the layers in your puff pastry.
Once you have done this you can either leave the pastry in the fridge (or freezer) until required or you can roll it out to your desired thickness and use it straight away.

To compose the tatin
3-4 cox apples
250g American puff pastry (above recipe)
50g unsalted butter
50g caster sugar
1 cinnamon stick
To prepare the apples, peel, core, and quarter them, then lay them out on a tray lined with kitchen paper. Leave them uncovered to dry out for at least 2-3 hours, preferably overnight. Don’t worry if they turn brown.
To make the tart you will need a 20cm diameter, shallow, oven-proof pan.
Roll out the pastry thinly on a floured cool surface and cut into a round, slightly bigger than the pan, using a similar sized plate as a guide.
Lift the pastry onto a baking sheet and chill until you are ready to use it. Soften the butter for about 30 seconds in the microwave. Spread the butter onto the bottom of your pan.
Next pour the sugar evenly over the butter and place the cinnamon stick in the centre.
Arrange your apple slices around the pan, ensuring they cover the whole surface. You can cut out a round for the centre. Lastly shape your lid on by pressing it onto the apples, tucking it around the edges slightly and putting three holes in the top to allow it to let out steam.
Place the pan over medium heat until the butter and sugar have started to bubble out the edges. Place into a preheated oven at 200°C for 15 minutes then lower to 180°C for a further 15 to 20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and crisp.
Leave to cool slightly before turning out (upside down so the pastry becomes the base of the tart). Serve with vanilla ice cream or crème fraiche.

Vanessa Wade, with her husband Tom, owns and runs The Vane Arms at Thorpe Thewles, County Durham.