The Food Fair

For the food fair, I decided to conquer the famous Tarte Tatin from the Loire Valley region, due to its seemingly simple recipe and fascinating origin. The tart was named after the Tatin sisters, Stéphanie and Caroline. Many claim that it originated when Stéphanie, working at the Hotel Tatin, left the apples to stew for a little too long and upon realising they had caramelised, decided to lay pastry over them and bake it in the oven as is, later flipping it over onto a plate, creating the Tarte Tatin we know today. Others claim that Stéphanie just accidentally placed the tart the wrong way in the oven, but both stories agree on the fact that upon realising the popularity of the dessert amongst the guests, the tart quickly became the hotel’s signature dish, and overtime, a dish famous all around the world. When I started making it, I quickly realised that caramel was not my strong point and suddenly began to rethink my choices. However, once the caramel was done everything worked slightly more to plan, with the pastry creating a nice even tart over the successfully stewed apples. I presented it in the traditional manner, with a dusting of cinnamon over the top, and although there were many hurdles along the way and the dish would ideally be served warm, I was happy with the overall product and the accompanying presentation. After all my hard work I was very pleased to hear others enjoying the tart, and to my great delight it was appreciated by many. Although cooking may not be my forte, making the Tarte Tatin was a worthwhile journey through a small part of France’s rich culinary history.