The kitchen in our new apartment has taken some warming up to. It took a few weeks for our landlord to get everything set up and ready to go for us (there were some old appliances that needed to be taken out), which delayed my bonding time with the new space. Even though we have much more counter space, a larger oven, and more lighting than my previous kitchen, I still had to take it slow and get to know it before I dove in headfirst to a new project.
Last night, I finally took on a pretty big task: simultaneously making a homecooked meal and trying out a new baking recipe. With plenty of counter space to use, I’m happy to report that it was a success! In honor of this past weekend’s French holiday (Bastille Day), I thought it was appropriate to try out a class apple tarte tatin, using this recipe from Smitten Kitchen.
The process was less scary than I imagined it would be — the caramel came together quite nicely, and the apples cooked down beautifully. I ended up cooking the caramel and apples on the stove top for just over 15 minutes rather than the 20 to 25 recommended — if I’d gone any longer I have a feeling that the caramel would have quickly burned.
Although everything came out of the pan nice and easy, I think I’ll make one change next time — since the original recipe didn’t specify how much puff pastry to use, I only used one sheet out of a 17.3oz package. This resulted in a thinner crust, which was fine but slightly unbalanced to the amount of caramel. Ah, well… it’s an easy enough fix for next time. And my official taste tester (aka boyfriend) says there absolutely should be a next time!
I strongly encourage you to try this one out for yourself. The ingredients are so simple, but the sweetness from the apples and the buttery caramel are so outrageously good!
City Coeur 