Veganizing Julia: Vegan Apple Tarte Tatin

Let me just paint you a picture.

First, you have to think about caramel. Smooth, sweet, with a hint of darkness to it. Chunks of apples are drowned it it, bathed in it, until they take on that same caramel colour. Then all of it is covered in a blanket of crispy, light puff pastry.

Sounds terrible, doesn’t it?

It’s not. It’s wonderful.

People are so intimidated by French food. And maybe the French like it that way. But it’s really not that hard. As far as I’m concerned, any good cuisine boils down to simple ingredients, prepared well. And this dish is exactly that: apples, vegan butter, sugar, and puff pastry. That’s it. What makes it special is the technique.

This is not your mom’s apple pie. Unless your mom was French, of course.

This is the second post/video in my series of Veganizing Julia Child’s recipes. I’m a huge fan, but holy smokes was her food not veg-friendly. Most French cuisine is not, as I learned first-hand last summer in Paris.

So I am setting about to veganize a bunch of her recipes. My first was Mushroom Bourguignon (you can see me doing a live demo of this recipe on Saturday, February 17 at 5 pm on the Celebrity Chef Cooking Stage at The Wellness Show), a rich stew which replaces beef for mushrooms.

This is one of my favourite French desserts. Simple, elegant, and delicious.

You may not have known this, but many commercially-available puff-pastries are vegan. Just read the ingredients to be sure. Oh–and a vessel that has the ability to be on top of the stove and in the oven is key for this recipe. I used my old cast-iron frying pan, it’s pretty much perfect.

Vegan Apple Tarte Tatin

Ingredients:

• 4-6 apples (depending on size) you want firmer ones–I like Granny Smiths
• the juice of one lemon
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 6 tbsp vegan butter
•  puff pastry

Method: