Originally created at the eponymous Hotel Tatin in the Loire Valley of France, this sweet specialty was discovered when it was accidentally placed in the oven upside down. The blend of crusty pastry and caramelised apples is now a firm favourite across Europe, and a staple on our Sunday lunch menu at The Balmoral’s Brasserie Prince. Enjoy Head Chef Phil Hickman’s take on the fruity classic, ideal for your next family meal.
Recipe by Phil Hickman, Head Chef of Brasserie Prince by Alain Roux
Ingredients (Serves 4-6):
100g Unsalted Butter
150g Caster Sugar
4 Pink Lady Apples
Large puff pastry sheet
Equipment:
Creuset Tatin dish or similar, 20cm in diameter
Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 180℃. Cut out a 24cm diameter disc from your puff pastry. You can use a plate as a stencil to cut the pastry. Then, place the pastry to cool in the fridge.
2) Peel and core the apples, then cut each in half. Spread a little butter onto the base and sides of the Creuset Tatin dish, and sprinkle with sugar. Place the apples into the dish with the outer sides facing down.
3) Place the dish over a medium heat and caramelise until the sugar turns golden brown, turning the apples regularly to obtain an even colour without burning them.
4) Remove the dish from the heat and leave the apples to cool for 5 minutes. Once cool, place the puff pastry dish over the apples, gently tucking the edges of the pastry over the apples using a spoon.
5) Bake at 180℃ for 25 minutes, then remove the dish from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
6) Wearing oven mitts, place a serving plate over the tatin and flip it upside down to take it out of the Creuset dish. Serve and enjoy.
The name Bernardo Buontalenti might not mean much to those outside of Florence, but it should. A prestigious Florentine architect and artist favoured by the Medici, he is also widely credited with inventing gelato. This frozen delight is now as synonymous with Italy as pizza and is deeply intertwined with Florence’s heritage. Take a tour of the city’s most celebrated gelaterias, curated by the expert concierge team at Hotel Savoy.
Maestro Salvatore Calabrese and Federico Pavan, Director of Mixology at Brown’s Hotel, discuss the creative process behind Happily Ever After, the Donovan Bar’s new fairytale-inspired cocktail menu, launching on 28th May.
After two decades of success with his innovative take on Japanese cuisine, international restaurateur Rainer Becker is bringing Zuma to Germany for the first time with a hotly anticipated summer pop-up at The Charles Hotel. Becker, who honed his skills at Michelin-starred restaurants in Germany before falling in love with Japanese food in Tokyo, returns to his native country 22 years after launching the first Zuma in London.
