Dueling Desserts

My daughter, Emily had been begging for apple tart tatin, but those last peaches of the season were asking for inclusion in something. It was such a good peach season in Maryland that I kept eating and not baking them. This was my last chance before the Triple Crown season of apple/pear/pumpkin desserts began.

Tarte tatin can do no wrong in my world – apples too mushy -- who cares? Apples stuck to the pan and the tart patched back together –I’ll eat it anyway. Armed with confidence, I made the tart, center ring of pear, then alternating granny smiths and peaches with blackberries scattered around any holes I found in the pan.

It even looked like I had imagined in my head. The blackberries performed the task of paintbrush and lightly tinted all the fruit with a red pomegranate color. I loved the taste, but Tom and Padma, I mean Sam and Emily, said that they didn’t like tasting just one fruit in each bite, they would prefer a bite of apple, pear, berry and peach each time they cut a piece. So there was born round two of the tatin battle. The second method was a little soupy and messier to turn out of the pan. But the pool of syrup on the counter was easily removed with fingers and licked. The taste was precisely what the critics were after and the blackberries more uniformly colored and glazed the dessert in red. I will give you both options so you can decide.


Rainbow Tart Tatin                                           8 to 12 servings

Storage: Store covered with plastic in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

1 sheet parve frozen puff pastry (from a 17.3-ounce box)

8 tablespoons parve margarine

3 Granny Smith apples

3 small pears

3 unripe peaches

6 ounces blackberries

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Thaw the puff pastry at room temperature for 45 minutes.  You will need a deep, ovenproof skillet about 11 to 13 inches wide. Make sure the handle is ovenproof as well. Take a piece of parchment about 16 inches long and sprinkle some flour on it. Roll out the puff pastry sheet until it is 1 inch larger than your pan. Place the pan on top of the rolled pastry and use a sharp knife to cut a circle in the pastry the size of the pan. Remove excess dough and set the dough circle aside.

Place the margarine and sugar in the skillet and set over medium-low heat. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Meanwhile, peel and core the apples and cut into quarters. Peel the pears, halve and remove cores. Peel the peaches, halve and remove the pit. Add the pears to the center of the pan, cored side facing up with the stem end facing the center, so it looks like a flower. For the next ring outside the pears, alternate apple and peach halves, core and pit sides facing up to fill up the pan. Sprinkle the blackberries around and place in any gaps between the other fruit. Cook for 15 minutes uncovered without moving any fruit.

Place the skillet in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven.  Take your pastry circle and, using your hand under the parchment, lift up and flip the pastry over on top of the fruit. Be careful, the skillet is hot! Peel off the parchment and use a sharp knife to cut a few holes in the pastry. Return skillet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden.

Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Use a silicone spatula to gently push any fruit poking out of the pastry back under the pastry. Put on oven mitts.  Place a large serving plate or platter over the pan and then flip the tart over onto the plate or platter. If any of the fruit get stuck in the pan, use a spatula to scoop them out and place where they belong on the tart. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Option #2

Preheat oven, thaw, roll and then cut the puff pastry as instructed above.  Cut the apples, pears and peaches into 1-inch pieces.  Place into a bowl, add the blackberries and toss gently. Heat the margarine and sugar in the pan, as instructed above.  After the margarine and sugar have melted, dump all the fruit into the pan and use a spatula to spread to cover the pan. Cook for 10 minutes without stirring. Place pan in the oven for 10 minutes.

Remove and then place the pastry on top, following the instructions above. Place back in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden.

Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Use a silicone spatula to  push any fruit poking out of the pastry back under the pastry. Place a large serving plate or platter (one with a rim works best) over the pan and then flip the tart over onto the plate or platter. If any of the fruit get stuck in the pan, use a spatula to scoop them out and place where they belong on the tart. Serve warm or at room temperature.