Tarte Tatin. Alps, France

February 2020

Another of my ‘must try’ dishes whenever I find myself in France, and another dish accidentally created when the filling was overcooked and started to burn but was served anyway and loved by all.  An apple tart caramelised with calvados so that the pastry is soft, sticky and sweet, the apples are soft, sticky and sweet, and there is a lively zestiness from the brandy that goes particularly well with the creaminess of the vanilla ice cream.  This one had the added bonus of being served alongside a canelé, a cylindrical pastry from Bordeaux with a gooey centre which contrasts particularly well with the tough, caramelised crust.  The nut brittle gave a pleasing contrasting texture to a soft dessert.
Find it at La Roy, a homely mountain restaurant hidden just off the Biolley run in St Martin de Belleville.   

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