Tart Tatin with Cranberries and Maple Syrup

The first time I had Tart Tatin, was at dinner with Bob and Denis, 20 odd years ago.  Bob, who had just returned from a year long sabbatical in France, made a classic Tart Tatin and I loved it.  Bob told me the story about how Tart Tatin was named after the Tatin sisters, who while caramelizing some apples in a frying pan left them unattended, resulting in overdone apples.  Needing to have a desert to serve for lunch at the family restaurant, they rescued the apples by putting a pastry lid on the frying pan and baked it in the oven. The sisters turned the pan upside down onto a plate, and we now enjoy this classic.  I have taken a few liberties and I am guessing that considering the tart's accidental origin, it is perfectly fine to experiment with the recipe.

Tart Tatin with Maple Syrup and Cranberries

I have a number of maple trees in the country and every year make enough maple syrup for my friends and family.  It also means I can use maple syrup instead of sugar.  Maple syrup is fabulous with apples, and, cranberries add a counter balance to the sweetness of the maple syrup.  I like to use a short crust for the pastry on top, but have been known to use frozen puff pastry in a pinch.

• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1/4 cup of maple syrup
• 1/4 cup of fresh cranberries
• 3 crisp apples, such as cortland or graney smith, peeled, quartered and cored, then each quarter sectioned into thirds
• pastry (see pastry recipe for lemon tart) or use frozen puff pastry

In a cast iron frying pan, melt butter and maple syrup.  Add cranberries and cook until the berries begin to pop.  Arrange the sliced apples and cook on stove top until the apples begin to caramelize.  Cover with pastry, trim and bake in oven at 425F until golden.  Take out of oven, and flip onto plate before cool.  

 Whipped cream or ice cream complete the desert.  

Canada Day Strawberry and Rhubarb Tart

I currently have  strawberries and rhubarb in my garden. Strawberries and rhubarb are the quintessential early summer combination.  Rhubarb, technically a vegetable, is the very first thing from the garden and as long as it is picked regularly will continue to produce for most of the summer.  Strawberries come later, but are worth the wait.  There is nothing like Ontario strawberries fresh from the field.  They taste like a completely different fruit than the strawberries that come from the southern US and Mexico.

Growing up, we always had rhubarb in the garden, and would often pick buckets of strawberries in a "pick your own" strawberry field to make strawberry jam for the rest of the year, and then indulge in the left over bucket of strawberries, for the next few days -  strawberries and milk for breakfast, strawberry short cake,  strawberry and spinach salad, and my mother's favourite was always strawberry and rhubarb stew.  

It was Canada Day and I so it seemed appropriate to refer to Rose Murray's  book, " A Taste of Canada"  and her recipe for Strawberry and Rhubarb Tart for inspiration.  

Canada Day Strawberry and Rhubarb Tart

Pastry

• 1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup of cold unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons of ice water

9" tart pan with removable bottom

Sift together dry ingredients.  Cut butter into small pieces and put in flour.  Cut butter into flour until a light crumble.  Gradually stir in cold water adjusting amount until the correct consistency.  Form into flat ball, and roll and fit into 9" fluted tart pan. Prick bottom with fork, and cover with parchment paper, and weigh down bottom.  I use my daughters old marbles, but dry beans or rice also work. 

Bake at 425F for 8 minutes, Remove weights and parchment paper and put back in oven for another 5 to 8 minutes.  I protect the edges by reusing the parchment paper and placing it lightly over the tart.   Cool and remove from tart pan.

Filling

• 4 cups of chopped rhubarb
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of port
• 1/2 cup of black current jelly
• 4 cups of fresh hulled strawberries

Glaze

• 4 tablespoons of current jelly
• 1 tablespoon of port

Combine brown sugar, port and jelly in heavy sauce pan.  Add rhubarb and cook over low heat, storing until the sugar, jelly and port are fluid in constancy.  Turn up heat, storing often, until the rhubarb is a mushy constancy, about 10 minutes.  Cool.

In small pot, heat current jelly and port for glaze.

Fill shell with rhubarb mixture, arrange strawberries, point up in filling, and paint strawberries with glaze.  

This tart is fabulous on it's own, however whipped cream or vanilla ice cream as a compliment push this desert over the top. 

Tomato and Garlic Scape Tart

I made this tart for my friend Ann's potluck birthday party, and so, after a perfect weather weekend in the country, I came back to the city, tart in hand, to Ann's empty house with partially deflated balloons on the front porch.  I had missed the party by a day.  I have promised to make this again the next time Ann visits, hopefully with fresh tomatoes from my garden instead of from the store. 

I used garlic scape pesto, however you could substitute finely chopped garlic or shallots in its place. Traditional pesto made with basil would also be good, however I would substitute a milder cheese for the cheddar when using the basil version.

Pastry

Use your favourite sturdy pastry recipe. 

Filling

• a selection of tomatoes
• sharp cheddar cheese
• olive oil
• garlic scape pesto
• salt and pepper to taste

Slice large tomatoes into thick slices and salt, let rest on paper towels to drain off excess fluid. If cherry tomatoes are large, cut in half and treat the same way.  

Roll pastry into large circle about 12" in diameter.   Place on parchment paper, on baking sheet with out edges.    Cover centre 8" diameter of pastry with 1/8" slices of cheese.  Arrange tomatoes over cheese.  Mix olive oil and scape pesto.  Paint tomatoes with mixture.  Fold up edges of pastry to contain tomatoes.  Salt and pepper top.  Bake at 375F for about 40 minutes until tomatoes look done.  

Claire's Tart Lemon Tart

Claire's Tart Lemon Tart with Debbie's Birthday Lilacs

Claire saw a picture of this tart in a magazine when she was eight and made it for a family function.  Since then, it has become her specialty and, it is expected that she bring it to all family events.  When she was younger, she made the filling and I made the pastry.  I occasionally still help with the rolling of the pastry.  This is very lemony and a bit tart, unlike the more typical, sweeter and custardy lemon tarts.  A small sliver complimented by seasonal fresh berries is a perfect end to a spring meal.

Pastry for 8" tart pan

• 1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoon of organic sugar
• 1/2 cup of cold unsalted butter
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten

Combine flour and sugar, cut in butter.  Add 2 tablespoons of cold water to egg mixture and stir into flour, handling as little as possible.  Add more water if needed for pastry to hold together.  Form into  flattened ball and wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate for at least an hour. 

Lemon Curd

• 4 large egg yolks plus 1 whole egg slightly beaten
• 1 cup of organic sugar
• 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, approximately 3 lemons
• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, cut into pieces

In a heavy pan, strain the egg yolks and the whole egg through a sieve.  Add the sugar and lemon juice and mix.  Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly and the mixture covers the back of the spoon.  Remove form heat and add the butter, one piece at a time and stir until mixed in.  Add lemon zest.  Cover with sedan wrap until ready to use.
      
Heat oven to 375F
Roll pastry.  We like it to be thick, maybe a 1/4 inch or so.  Fit into tart pan, line foil or parchment paper, and fill with pastry weights.  We use Claire's old marbles, but beans or rice also work.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and weights and cook for another 10 minutes or until golden.  After the pastry has cooled, add lemon curd and place back in oven for another 10 minutes or until the curd has set.