Happy New Year! I thought I'd start off 2011 by sharing an absolutely delicious creation. To my surprise, the Food Network Magazine consistently delivers solid recipes that rarely fail to please. This was my favorite from all of my holiday cooking. I had never heard of a Tarte Tatin, but in doing a little research I learned that it was created in error as two French sisters attempted an apple pie gone wrong. What you're looking at above are gorgeous roasted root vegetables: sweet potatoes, fingerling potatoes, parsnips, leeks and garlic all slow-roasted first to bring out their flavor. As they cooked, I created a little caramel and then proceeded to assemble this dish upside-down. The caramel went down first, followed by sage and oregano. As the root veggies came out of the oven I positioned them in the caramel which hardened very quickly. I was afraid at this point because the caramel wasn't perfectly covering the bottom of my baking dish - thankfully this all smooths out when you put it back into the oven. A small sprinkling of mozzarella cheese and a final layer of puff pastry were the final toppings. It baked for only a short time before smelling divine. Once it came out I had to invert it. This was the scary part - the pan had to cool for a bit but remain relatively warm for the Tarte Tatin to pop out. I held my breath as both myself and my mom (assisting me as sous chef for this dish) had four hands working to flip it. To my great surprise, it worked! The picture you see is only moments after it came out of the pan. We sliced it up immediately and it was pure heaven! The sweetness of the caramel sauce pairs amazingly with these root vegetables. A total winter treat in my opinion :)
Make it again? This is sure to impress any dinner party. In fact, it is pretty enough to place as your centerpiece. Serve it right on your cutting board covered in parchment paper and scatter it with a few more herbs for a rustic, beautiful focal point. I plan to use it for dinner parties and holiday gathering throughout the winter months.
Improvements? No improvements to this recipe are needed. It is perfect. Variations could be fun though. Different herb combinations as well as alternate root vegetables could be used. I used leeks because I had them on hand even though the recipe called for a regular onion. Purple potatoes would also add to the presentation.
Here is the link for the recipe, enjoy!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/vegetable-tarte-tatin-recipe/index.html
This is seriously impressive!
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