Butternut Squash Tarte Tatin Recipes

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
• Put the puff pastry on a cutting board, put an inverted 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet on top and cut the pastry with a knife. Transfer the pastry round to a parchment-lined baking sheet and poke all over with a fork. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Put the sugar in the bottom of the 10-inch skillet. Heat over medium heat, shaking the skillet frequently, until the sugar is a dark caramel color, about 5 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, separate the necks and bulbs of the squash using a sharp knife. Reserve the bulbs for another use. Cut the stems off the necks and peel the necks with a peeler. Using a mandoline, slice the squash as thinly as possible while keeping them as whole circles.
• Start to arrange 1 layer of overlapping squash slices over the bottom of the skillet in concentric circles. Sprinkle with half the thyme, half the sage and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Lay down another layer of squash and top with the remaining thyme and sage and another 1/2 teaspoon salt. Top with any remaining squash and place the puff pastry round on top.
• Transfer the skillet to a baking sheet and bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let cool for 3 minutes in the skillet and invert onto a plate. Top with freshly grated Parmesan.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lay the squash slices on a baking tray and sprinkle over a little of the caster sugar. Bake for 20 mins or until the squash is still slightly resistant to a sharp knife, but not hard. Don't overcook the squash, or it will break when you try to move it.
• Meanwhile, scatter the rest of the sugar into an ovenproof frying pan about 20cm across, and heat it gently until it melts and starts to caramelise. Tip the pan if you need to combine patches of sugar that haven't melted into the liquid parts, but don't be tempted to stir. When you have a medium amber-coloured caramel, sprinkle on the spices and lemon juice. Turn the heat off.
• Take the squash out of the oven and leave to cool for a couple of mins. Use tongs to place the squash in the frying pan, gently arranging the slices in a tight spiral on the caramel. Start with a large slice in the centre and lay the other slices on top so it looks neat when you turn it out. When the squash is all in the pan, turn the heat on again and cook until the caramel starts to bubble. Turn the heat down and cook for about 10-15 mins, making sure the caramel doesn't burn. You want the squash to give off any water and then to start absorbing the caramel - the caramel will start to get very liquid as this happens, so turn the heat up at the end and make sure the caramel thickens up completely. Turn the heat off, drop the butter into the centre of the pan and wait for it to melt.
• Cut the pastry into a rough circle just bigger than the pan and drape it over the squash, folding any excess over on itself and carefully tucking it in around the edge. Bake for 20 mins, then turn the heat down to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and bake for a further 20 mins. Turn out onto a plate while the tarte is hot so the squash and caramel release easily. Serve with crème fraîche or ice cream.

Steps:

• Make the crust: Combine the olive oil and water in a measuring cup. Pulse the flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor. With the machine running, add the olive oil mixture and pulse until the dough clumps together, adding up to 1 more tablespoon water if needed. Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap; press into a disk and wrap. Let sit at room temperature while you make the filling.
• Make the filling: Wrap the squash in a kitchen towel and wring out as much liquid as possible; transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with the spinach and add to the squash; stir to break up any clumps. Add the ricotta, fontina, parmesan, half-and-half, scallions, parsley, 2 eggs, the nutmeg, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper; mix until combined.
• Position a rack in the bottom of the oven; preheat to 375 degrees F. Brush a quarter sheet pan or 9-by-13-inch straight-sided baking pan with olive oil. Cut off one-quarter of the dough; set aside. Roll out the remaining dough into an 11-by-15-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Trim the edges with a fluted cutter or a knife and ease into the pan. Spread the filling over the dough.
• Roll out the reserved dough into a 6-by-12-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Cut lengthwise into 10 strips with the fluted cutter; arrange in a lattice pattern over the filling, trimming as needed. Fold in the overhanging edges. Beat the remaining egg with a pinch of salt and brush on the crust. Bake until the crust is golden and the filling is set, about 50 minutes. Let cool on a rack 30 minutes before cutting.

Steps:

• At least one day before you plan to cook the tart, prepare the apples: Slice off the bottom of each apple so it has a flat base. Peel and quarter the apples. Use a small sharp knife to trim the hard cores and seeds from the center of each quarter; don't worry about being too neat. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate, lightly covered, for at least one day or up to three days. (This key step reduces the amount of liquid in the tart. Don't worry if the apples turn brown; they will be browned during the cooking anyway.)
• When ready to cook, heat oven to 375 degrees (or 350 if using convection). Thickly coat the bottom of a 10-inch heavy ovenproof skillet, preferably nonstick metal, with butter. Sprinkle sugar evenly on top.
• Cut one piece of apple into a thick round disk and place in the center of the skillet to serve as the "button." Arrange the remaining apple pieces, each one standing on its flat end, in concentric circles around the button. Keep the pieces close together so that they support one another, standing upright. They will look like the petals of a flower.
• On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry about 1/8-inch thick. Place an upside-down bowl or pan on the pastry and use the tip of a sharp knife to cut out a circle about the same size as the top of your skillet. Lift out the circle and drape gently over the apples. Use your hands to tuck the pastry around the apple pieces, hugging them together firmly.
• Place the skillet on the stovetop over medium heat until golden-brown juice begins to bubble around the edges, 3 minutes (if the juices keep rising, spoon out as needed to remain level with pastry). If necessary, raise the heat so that the juices are at a boil. Keep cooking until the juices are turning darker brown and smell caramelized, no longer than 10 minutes more.
• Transfer skillet to the oven and bake 45 to 50 minutes, until puff pastry is browned and firm.
• Let cool 5 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a round serving plate. (Or, if not serving immediately, let cool completely in the pan; when ready to serve, rewarm for 15 minutes in a 350-degree oven before turning out.) If any apples remain stuck in the pan, gently use your fingers or a spatula to retrieve them, and rearrange on the pastry shell. Cut in wedges and serve warm with heavy cream, crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.

Steps:

• Prepare the dough: In a medium bowl, sprinkle dry yeast and sugar over 2/3 cup/158 milliliters warm water. Let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes, then add oil.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flours and salt, then stir in yeast mixture with a wooden spoon until combined. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until dough is uniform and elastic, 3 to 5 minutes, adding more flour if needed. (Flour your hands if necessary to keep dough from sticking.) Or, if the dough seems a bit dry, add a bit more water.
• Transfer to an oiled bowl, turn dough to coat it with oil, cover with a damp cloth and let rest in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours (or longer if you kitchen is cold or drafty).
• Meanwhile, prepare the topping: Heat oven to 450 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss mushrooms and leeks with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. On another rimmed baking sheet, toss the squash with 1 tablespoon oil and salt and pepper to taste. Spread squash and mushroom mixtures out evenly on their respective pans and roast until lightly browned at the edges, 15 to 20 minutes for the mushrooms, 18 to 22 for the squash. Don't let the vegetables get too brown, you will be cooking them again. Transfer baking sheets to a wire rack and let vegetables cool. (You can roast the vegetables up to 8 hours in advance.)
• Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet. Roll dough out on a floured surface to an 11- by 16-inch/28- by 41-centimeter rectangle, then transfer to oiled baking sheet and press the dough out to the sides. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Heat oven back to 450 degrees. Spread mushroom mixture over dough, sprinkle with thyme and red pepper flakes and top with squash. Sprinkle lightly with salt, then with cheese, then drizzle with olive oil. Bake until golden brown all over, 14 to 18 minutes. Serve hot or warm, sprinkled with chives if desired and lemon juice to taste.