eG Cook-Off #67: Apples

[cakewalk]

I am loving this thread. The fritters, the pie, everything. I have about three pounds of apples in the crisper. Whatever shall I do? Since I also have cranberry's I think I'll still with David Sax's Apple Cranberry Crumble.

[Shelby]

Wow, David.  Just wow. *wipes drool*

[ElsieD]

Oh, dear God, I want some.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

My Tarte Tatin takes two days--cooking the apples with sugar and butter on day one, then refrigerating overnight and adding the pastry and final baking on day two. 

 

Thank you, David.  My mission was to set out to reproduce this!

 

I began with half a dozen Braeburn that I had picked myself.

 

 

 

Peeling Apples

 

 

Next a stick of organic, cultured butter and 150 g sugar:

 

 

 

Sugar and Butter

 

 

Note:  no known culinary sugar "dissolves" in butter.

 

 

 

Halved and Cored Apples in Tarte Tatin Pan

 

 

 

After an hour and a half at 375 deg F.

 

 

I cooled the apples for a few hours, but not overnight.

 

For the pastry I used 300 g KAF AP and 100 g KAF cake flour, 1 stick of the same nice organic, cultured butter used above plus one half cup (more or less) lovely homemade lard (rendered by the method of Modernist Cuisine), 1 Tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, enough ice water to bring together.  I refrigerated a couple hours, rested, and rolled out:

 

 

Pastry for Crust

 

 

 

Tarte Tatin Ready for Oven

 

 

I baked 20 minutes at 350 deg F as called for.  It was here I ran into a problem.  The crust did not look dark enough.  In fact it looked raw.  I baked for another 20 minutes.  The crust had still not colored.  I began to worry.  I increased the heat to 425 deg F and baked for an additional 20 minutes.

 

 

 

This was more what I was expecting

 

 

 

Tarte Tatin Plated

 

 

The sweetness of the tarte was perfect.  Rarely do I get the sweetness of an unfamiliar dessert recipe just right.  If I may pick a fault I would have liked a bit more syrup.

 

Two things I may change next time:  for the first baking of the apples I would consider covering the pan for all or part of the cooking time.  And I would bake the assembled tarte for a shorter time at a higher temperature.  For this project I consulted perhaps twenty tarte tatin recipes.  Almost if not all specified a higher temperature and/or a longer baking time.  The recent NY times Tarte Tatin specifies 40 to 50 minutes at 375 deg F.  Julia calls out for 20 minutes at 425 deg F.

 

Nonetheless, not bad I thought for my first tarte tatin ever.  Methode rotuts and crème fraiche cover a multitude of faults.

 

 

Edit:  spelling.

Edited November 9, 2014 by JoNorvelleWalker (log)

[Darienne]

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/129528-apple-crisp/?hl=crisp  This is a link to Dejah's (Post #17) wonderful topping made with loads of cheddar cheese...and we all know that Canadian cheddar beats all! ...which I used to top an apple (plus all the other bits of fresh cranberries, dried cranberries, chopped pecans, etc) dessert last night for "Dessert as Dinner", a favorite home treat.

 

The topping was fabulous and to think that I had never heard of it before.  It will be a new item to be featured to surprise and delight others.  Thank you Dejah.

[Katie Meadow]

From that sublime tart tatin to the ridiculously simple: Dorie's "back-pocket" Custardy Apple Cake from Baking Chez Moi--on her website and various other places. You can practically make it with your eyes closed (well, if you are using a mandoline--which I don't--maybe that isn't so smart.) I got it here:

http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/custardy-apple-squares

The apples are almost everything in this recipe. I used a couple of pink ladies and some other unidentified apple in the bowl, but I imagine any firm flavorful apple will work. The apple slices on the top get appealingly crispy and toasty edged, and it cuts easily into pretty squares. We had some leftover Bourbon Vanilla ice cream from the local Tara's Organic Creamery and it was a perfect go-with.

[Anna N]

Apple crumble for one.

[David Ross]

Your apple crumb looks delicious and I myself am making more and more desserts in small serving dishes for one. 

[David Ross]

I'm thinking of adding some diced apple to my beloved Thanksgiving "dressing."  I'm not a fan of "stuffing" the dear turkey so I "dress" the bird with a separate casserole of dressing.  It's a mixture of small bread cubes, lots of dried sage and poultry seasoning, eggs, glogs and glogs of butter and chicken stock, celery, onion, Jimmy Dean sage sausage and dried cranberries.  I'm thinking fresh apples would add both acidity and sweetness to this rich dressing, probably a Granny Smith variety. 

 

Do you celebrate apples at your Holiday table?

[Katie Meadow]

I make a pretty traditional bread and chestnut stuffing (no eggs) and I always add a couple of apples, cubed small. I stuff the turkey and also cook a casserole dish full of the same mix for the vegetarians in the family, so that should give you an idea of quantity or ratio of apples to the rest of ingredients. I am insanely fastidious about closing up the body after stuffing, so the apples are all that is needed for moisture. The dressing that cooks outside the turkey of course needs a healthy dose of liquid to keep it from drying out.

This year I am only going to stuff the turkey and not do the extra side dish, so I think one apple will be plenty. I used to use granny smiths but now I use whatever tart apples I have on hand.

[David Ross]

I came upon an unfamiliar apple in the market today that I'm pretty sure I hadn't seen before. The "Lady Alice" is cultivated in Eastern, Washington and was introduced early last year.  (For more information, see this site, http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lady-alice-apples-are-one-of-the-newest-apple-varietals-consumers-eagerly-anticipate-each-winter-245582151.html).

 

It's a fantastic eating apple, firm texture with an incredibly sweet first bite followed by a bit of sour zing.  Not sure what the cooking characteristics are but it's mighty fine eatin out of hand.

 

[David Ross]

This has been an unusual growing year here in Eastern Washington.  Peaches and huckleberries were ripe in July, nearly three weeks early and the same is holding true so far with our annual apple harvest.  Apples are already showing up in the markets and early reports are for Washington to have a record crop.  The weather couldn't be more perfect this year--hot in July, warm but not scorching in August, and now we are beginning September with sunny, yet mild days in the low 70's and overnight temperatures in the mid-40's.  I'm hoping we'll see the apples ripen and sweeten-up more in the next few weeks and we may have some fresh apples into early October.

 

As I always do each year to kick-off my apple cookery, an apple Tarte Tatin...................

 

 

 

[Darienne]

Our apple season, chez Road's End Farm, is just beginning.  So far all we have made is a small amount of Apple Cider to be frozen, Apple Leather with Walnuts for gifts, and I'm about to make some Apple Pie Ice Cream for a luncheon gift on Sunday.  And all this is from falls only.   One tree is Macintosh and the other, untouched as of yet, is a Northern Spy. 

When we moved onto this property 22 years ago, we were told that there were 19 apple trees.  We have not located all of them.  Probably some/many were Heritage varieties.   And recently, a couple of the trees whose apples tasted not too wonderful are now bearing delicious apples.  O no!  Not more apples.  We gave away so many apples last year.  If you knew us and were willing to come to the farm...you got apples.

 

And so it goes.  Ed is out back right now, picking up windfalls after the storm last night.  How I would like to try David Ross's Tarte Tatin.  To eat I mean...not to make at this point.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Good apples are starting to appear in our stores. I was attracted at first to the Honey Crisp, until I saw they were priced at $3.99 a pound. I settled for Gala at $1.49 and Bartlett pears at the same price. I also got some nectarines and some huge southeast peaches, a cantaloupe and more muscadines.

 

I can't wait for Macintosh to start showing up. They are my favorite, and @Darienne I would be making the trek to your farm to meet you, your husband and your Rotties, and take some Macintosh off your hands if it were possible. We used to live pretty near an apple orchard in Vermont, and made unbaked pies in the fall to put in the deep freeze and pull out and cook all winter. The apples were as cheap as $2.00 a bushel back then for drops or "windfalls". We kept bushel baskets in the basement where they stayed good for months.

 

@David Ross,

 

Would you be kind enough to share more details on how you created your great-looking Tarte Tatin?

[David Ross]

I start with my basic pie crust recipe, (for the tarte tatin, I find that puff pastry isn't sturdy enough to support the apples and it turns soggy really quickly under the caramel)

2 cups flour

1/2 cup cake flour (the finely milled cake flour seems to give the pastry added flaky texture)

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup Crisco

1 stick chilled butter (I use salted butter for the flavor)

About 1/3 cup ice water

 

I go the old fashioned route and cut the butter and Crisco into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter.  I don't use the typical wire type pastry cutters but one with really rigid blades.  I try to avoid the food processor because even with a few pulses, the blades spin so fast that it basically make sand out of the Crisco and butter in the flour.  Then I may use more or less of the ice water, depending how the dough comes together.  I want it supple enough to insure it will roll out properly later.  I cover with cling film and put it in the fridge to rest and chill about two hours.

 

I only use Golden Delicious apples.  I've tried it with Fuji, Granny Smith and a few other tart apples and they just don't work.  The Golden Delicious holds its shape, is sweet and soaks in the caramel sauce.  Maybe it's just an old baking tale but the Golden Delicious never fail.

 

I use a T-fal non-stick 10" frying pan.  I've used cast iron, but the caramel and apples burn. The recipe I use out of "Saveur Cooks French" calls for a tarte tatin pan, but I've never sought out buying one.  I like the non-stick because it helps release the tarte tatin when you invert it.

 

Peel, cut in half and core about 8 Golden Delicious apples

In the pan melt 2 1/2 stick butter with 1 1/2 cups sugar

At this point I add 1 tbsp. corn syrup as I find it thickens the caramel during baking and gives it more of a glaze when the tarte tatin is finished.

 

It's a bit tedious putting the apples in the pan.  You stand them up on their sides, and pack them in tight.  You'll be surprised to see the apples reaching upwards of over an inch above the rim of the pan.  Then pack two apple halves in the middle.  Don't worry, during cooking they will sink down into the pan.

 

Bake at 400 for 1 hour 45 minutes.  I know it sounds incredibly long but that's the key to getting the apples to cook down into the caramel.

 

Now another trick is to let it cool on the counter after you take it out of the oven, cover with cling film and put in the fridge overnight.  As Saveur notes, "to further let the apples confit." 

 

Next day I roll out the pastry, place it on top of the apples in the pan and trim the edges.  I fold over the edge into the center of the frying pan to give more structure to the edge.

 

Into a 350 oven for about 25 minutes to melt the caramel and bake the pastry to golden brown.  Here's another trick, let the tarte tatin sit on a rack for about 8 minutes after you pull it out of the oven.  Invert the tarte tatin too early and it may fall apart, wait too long and the caramel starts to cool and harden and you can't get the tarte out very easily.

 

My cousin thought it was odd I served it with ice cream and she always thought whipped cream was the best accompaniment, but I love cool vanilla ice cream with a slice of the warm apple tarte tatin.

 

 

[Katie Meadow]

Pink Pearl. That's my newest crush. They are smallish to medium size, pearly and creamy on the outside, and the flesh is a mottled red/pink. They are crisp and juicy and tart, very tart. The apple was developed in CA in the forties, but they aren't widely sold as far as I can tell. They are grown in CA and Oregon and probably in WA state as well. For a person like me who grew up on the east coast and who will never forget what it's like to bite into the first early Vermont Mac of the season, the Pink Pearl is Paradise. Lucky for me my husband is not as enamored, so I get to eat them all. Maybe not quite right for a tarte tatin. David, your cousin is just wrong. Although in a pinch creme fraiche on warm caramel apples can be pretty yummy.

[Darienne]

Made some Apple Pie Ice Cream and some Apple Leather to take to friends for lunch today. 

The Apple Leather is 2 cups of apple sauce and 1/2 cup of finely chopped walnuts, spread onto 3 cookie sheets and left in the oven at 150 degrees Fahrenheit until they are satisfactorily dried.  The time depends upon the thickness of the spread.  They are delicious and make the best snack.

 

 

[Darienne]

Sorry for the addition on Apple Leather.  Forgot to add about leaving the oven door open during the drying process.  A doubled over oven mitt does the trick.

[Darienne]

And the apple harvesting and processing goes on and on at the farm.  Nothing compared to last year (thank heavens) but still more than bountiful.  None to give away this year unless folks will accept falls.  We had the trees pruned in the spring and the pruners have to return to finish the job.  The trees had been uncared for for over twenty years...did I say I'm not a gardener?...and now we and the trees are paying a price.  Come back next year.

 

Making a new family favorite: "Mother's Applesauce Cake (Poor Man's Fruitcake) generously given to me by eG member, Arey.  (photo from 2015)

 

[Darienne]

And the apple harvesting and processing seems to go on forever.   Does anyone know when to harvest Northern Spies?  They are obviously later than the Macs.  But then it would matter at what climate zone one lived.

In the meantime, I took some Apple Butter made last year and never eaten...we are not toast eaters...added some chopped nuts and made as if to dehydrate it and make Apple Leather.  Well, many hours later I have some kind of chewy candy.  A bit sticky, but oh so delicious.

[David Ross]

The "Rave" is one of our newer apple varities in Washington, It's also the first apple of our season, just now starting to show up in the local markets.  These apples come from Stemilt Farms in Wenatchee, the main apple growing region in Washington.  They were created by cross of the Honeycrisp and the MonArk from Arkansas.  They have a good texture and are what I'd describe as sweet yet pretty tart.  Not my type of eating apple but I think would go well in any baked apple dish.

[Smithy]

I'll have to keep an eye out for Raves in our markets. To be honest, I think the Honeycrisps are overrated (says the Minnesota resident). My favorites these days are Fujis for eating and Granny Smiths or Pippins for baking, but it's fun to try other varieties.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I'd also like to try Rave sometime.  I agree with @Smithy that Honeycrisp is overrated.  My favorite varieties are Pink Lady and Granny Smith.  And Macoun if I can get it off the tree.  Macoun is mealy and vile if it is a day too old.

 

[David Ross]

My favorite eating apple is the Envy. Sometimes hard to find even here in Apple country and a little higher in price than say a red delicious. The golden delicious seems to be the best apple for my Tarte Tatin

[JoNorvelleWalker]

15 minutes ago, David Ross said:

My favorite eating apple is the Envy. Sometimes hard to find even here in Apple country and a little higher in price than say a red delicious. The golden delicious seems to be the best apple for my Tarte Tatin

 

Never heard of Envy.  I envy you.