Toffee Apple Tarte Tatin - with Maple Syrup
A tarte tatin is made by caramelising apples in sugar and butter on the stovetop, covering with pastry and then bakingin the oven until the pastry is golden.
A traditional tarte tatin recipe is much the same as this. Just substitute gluten-free plain flour for wheat flour. I added buckwheat to the pastry because I like the mix of buckwheat and apple.
I added the maple syrup because I thought it might make it taste more toffeeish. Hence the name. The maple syrup is nice but it doesn’t make a huge difference to the taste.
I originally used maple syrup in the pastry. But it makes it too sticky. So I’ve replaced it with brown sugar.
Toffee Apple Tarte Tatin
Yield: Serves 6
Suitable for: Gluten-free diet
Ingredients:
- 125g gluten-free plain flour
- 100g buckwheat
- 225g salted butter,divided in two parts - 100g & 125g (diced)
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 25g brown sugar
- 6 - 7 good-sized tart but sweet apples
- 85g caster sugar
- 50ml maple syrup, room temperature
- 4 tbsp warm water
- crème fraîche, for serving
Instructions:
Make the pastry
Add the plain flour, buckwheat flour, brown sugar and diced butter to a food processor. Mix until it has a crumby consistency. Whisk the egg and milk. Start up the food mixer again on its slowest setting and pour in the egg mix slowly through the opening at the top. As it combines a ball of dough should form. If it clumps together but doesn’t form an actual ball just scrape it all together and form it into a ball with your hands. Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.Carmelise the apples
Core, peel & quarter the apples.- Put the caster sugar in an oven proof frying pan* and leave to liquefy on a medium heat. There’s no need to stir it. It will melt all by itself with the heat. When the sugar has turned to a slightly golden liquid, stir in the maple syrup and water. It might spit at little, so be careful doing this. Next stir the remaining 100g of butter. Mix them in well together so that they have properly combined before you add the apples.
- Carefully place the apples in the pan and turn over a few times so that they are well covered in the caramel. Leave to carmelise for a few minutes on a moderate heat until the apples have softened and the caramel thickened.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool just a little before drapping the pastry over the apples.
Roll out the pastry & assemble
Turn on the oven to 180° C. Take the pastry out of the fridge. Roll it out to the size that will cover the apples in the pan. Cover the apples with the pastry. Bake in oven for 25 minutes or until the pastry is fully cooked and slightly golden.- When done take the pan out of the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Then turn out on a plate.
Serve with lots & lots of creme fraiche
* If you don’t have an oven proof frying pan, carmelise the apples in a normal frying pan and then transfer to a suitable oven dish. Drape the pastry over the carmelised apples and bake.
Enjoy!
