Probably the last thing that people think of cooking on a BBQ are puddings but this is really missing a trick. A classic Tarte Tatin is a great dish to do in the Big Green Egg. It is relatively straightforward, looks complicated, benefits from a little smoke and tastes delicious! This recipe was given to my by my friend Nic Williams and can be found on his website here.
The recipes are identical other than this version uses a little less toffee and the apples are peeled to give a more golden effect to the finished Tarte – either method works really well. Like Nic I also use the 22cm pan from the Tefal Ingenio pan set. They work really well on the EGG as they are great pans and you can remove the handle from them when they are cooking in the EGG with the lid closed.
The first thing to do was to set up the BGE for direct cooking with the stainless steel grill in place and bring the temperature up to 200C. Whilst this was coming to temperature the sugar rum and vanilla extract was added to the 22cm pan. This was then placed in the EGG once the temperature was stable. It is important to get to a stable temperature because you want a steady bottom heat and certainly don’t want any active flames licking the bottom of the pan.
The pan was then put into the EGG and the lid was closed. It will take about 10-15 mins for the sugar to dissolve fully in the rum. (It is really important not to stir the mix or it will all crystallise). Whilst this is heating, the apples were peeled, cored and sliced. Check on the progress after around 7mins remembering to burp the EGG. Once all the sugar has dissolved, the liquid will be gently bubbling as in the picture on the left. It is now safe to carefully take out the pan and put it onto a heatproof surface. 
The pieces of apple were then packed in a single layer into the very hot syrup – taking care to keep the fingers well out of the way of the syrup!! To form a caramel there needs to be some butter and little dots of butter were placed over the apple. 
The Puff pastry was then unrolled, put over the pan and trimmed to a slightly larger circle than the pan. The excess was then tucked around the edge to form a rim. The whole thing was then placed back in the BGE to cook for around 30 mins. 
We had a peep at the cooking at around 25 mins and the pastry was beginning to crisp and colour nicely. The pastry needs to be throughly cooked and it is about ready to remove once the caramel is bubbling round the edge and the pastry is golden brown. It is equally important not to allow the caramel to burn which it can do easily if left for too long. 
The Tarte Tatin was removed and carefully turned out onto a plate. I think it is better when cold – but I bet you can’t wait that long for the first piece!
……………..serve with a little cream or crème fraîche
Footnote
We played around with this dish quite a lot when we first started cooking it. We have not cooked it for quite a while as we have been busy shedding the pounds! Now we have gone back to it in its original form as shown here, the toffee finish is a little more ‘runny’ than we would chose. So as we refine the recipe I would suggest just missing out the rum and would add the butter to the sugar before adding the apples. We will update further once we have tried a few alternatives!
Apple Tarte Tatin
A classic Apple Tarte Tatin
Ingredients
- Caster sugar 130g
- Dark rum 130ml
- Vanilla extract 1tsp
- Butter 50g
- Apples, 4 peeled cored and sliced into thin pieces - Suggest Braeburn or Cox’s Orange Pippin
- Pre-rolled puff pastry
Directions
- Step 1 Lightly oil a 22cm non-stick handleless pan. Add the sugar, rum and the vanilla extract. Heat the EGG to a steady 200C direct cooking. Place the pan in the EGG and allow the mix to warm and dissolve the sugar for around 10-15 mins – Do not stir! Once the colour of the caramel starts to change take the pan off the heat and put on a heat resistant surface.
- Step 2 Place the apple slices around the pan in a single layer. Avoid touching the hot sugar syrup. Place the cubes of butter around the apples.
- Step 3 Unroll the puff pastry over the top of the apples and butter and trim to make a circle larger than the pan. Tuck it in around the edges to make a lip
- Step 4 Return the pan to the Egg and bake for around 30 minutes. Check after about 20-25 mins. Finish cooking when the pastry is golden brown and the caramel is bubbling up around the edges. Don’t overcook as it is easy to burn
- Step 5 Turn the tarte out onto a plate taking care of the hot caramel
- Step 6 Serve hot or cold with cream or crème fraîche
