Lavender fields and tarte tatin
3rd day in Provence and today we are approaching deserts. Tarte tatin a very famous desert, not only in France I believe. I do admit there are many many other deserts in France, more fancy and advanced...but since we are on vacation and I love to share easy recipes everybody can make...tarte tatin seemed to be a perfect choice. But please don´t get fooled by the simple preparation and simple ingredients for this tarte, the result will be just phenomenal and excellence, as many other deserts in France too.
There are certainly many variations of flavouring this tarte...vanilla, cinnamon, salt...my variations goes with rosemary. You will be surprised to see how well apples go with rosemary and there will be certainly a provincial twist to it....somehow fitting to our current location, wouldn´t you agree?
The tarte can be served just as it is or with some vanilla ice cream, I however choose creme fraiche for my version and it did not only fit perfectly but also gave additional french kick to this delicious desert.
To reach a different look of the tarte, the apples can be sliced and arrange differently. I however like it this way as it looks very rustic to me. Also you will have a big chunks of cooked caramelised apple at once when you are eating the tarte.
Tarte Tatin
Today we went for another excursion, visiting some places in the area, which were highly recommended by our landlords. Very nice people, who welcomed us here so warmly, making the whole experience even more lovely for us...
On the way to Grignan, a small sleepy town with a castle on top, we stopped in Nyons to have some lunch, admiring the charm and the view of the city. The view over the mountains is amazing, the town lies in a valley and is surrounded by the mountains, with a small river which goes around the city.
Continuing our way we passed many lavender fields, wineries, countless fruit stands from local farmers and many other sleepy and charming villages the area has to offer. I cannot really say which village is the best, as all of them have there own charm and are worth to be seen. You can nearly stop in every village and admire the view, have something to drink and feel like you are in the middle of the movie "Chocolat" with Juliette Binoche. It seems like each village has a very old church and the sound of the bells is following you everywhere.
Grignan is a very small town, but has a lot to offer...a castle on top, small little shops and many charming cafes a perfect place to have a desserts or buy another new bag...which was exactly what I did... Red shopper bag and lavender and honey ice cream for dessert.....
Enjoy!
There are certainly many variations of flavouring this tarte...vanilla, cinnamon, salt...my variations goes with rosemary. You will be surprised to see how well apples go with rosemary and there will be certainly a provincial twist to it....somehow fitting to our current location, wouldn´t you agree?
The tarte can be served just as it is or with some vanilla ice cream, I however choose creme fraiche for my version and it did not only fit perfectly but also gave additional french kick to this delicious desert.
To reach a different look of the tarte, the apples can be sliced and arrange differently. I however like it this way as it looks very rustic to me. Also you will have a big chunks of cooked caramelised apple at once when you are eating the tarte.
- 4-5 apples
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3-4 tablespoons sugar
- 2-3 branches rosemary
- 1 pack puff pastry
Preheat the oven to 180 C. Skin and quarter the apples. Add butter, sugar and the rosemary branches to a frying pan, please take a pan which can be put into the oven for later steps. Arrange the apple quarters over the pan. Note that apples will shrink during the cooking process. hence the apples should be arranged very tightly. Let it cook for couple of minutes till butter and sugar starts to bubble and change the colour to golden brown. Cut a circle out of the puff pastry as big as a pan. Put it on top of the apples and and push the edges gently down with a wooden spoon. Place the pan into the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, till golden brown. Take it out of the oven let it cool for 1 minute, take a big plate which is covering the whole pan and turn the pan over...so that you will have the tarte on the plate. Serve with creme fraiche. Take the rosemary branches away, before eating.
Today we went for another excursion, visiting some places in the area, which were highly recommended by our landlords. Very nice people, who welcomed us here so warmly, making the whole experience even more lovely for us...
On the way to Grignan, a small sleepy town with a castle on top, we stopped in Nyons to have some lunch, admiring the charm and the view of the city. The view over the mountains is amazing, the town lies in a valley and is surrounded by the mountains, with a small river which goes around the city.
Continuing our way we passed many lavender fields, wineries, countless fruit stands from local farmers and many other sleepy and charming villages the area has to offer. I cannot really say which village is the best, as all of them have there own charm and are worth to be seen. You can nearly stop in every village and admire the view, have something to drink and feel like you are in the middle of the movie "Chocolat" with Juliette Binoche. It seems like each village has a very old church and the sound of the bells is following you everywhere.
Grignan is a very small town, but has a lot to offer...a castle on top, small little shops and many charming cafes a perfect place to have a desserts or buy another new bag...which was exactly what I did... Red shopper bag and lavender and honey ice cream for dessert.....
Enjoy!
wow wow, that picture with the lavender field and house in the back is really lovely. I love lavender fields
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