Shamrock Sweets: 4 Unforgettable Irish Desserts

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anonymous on Oct 20, 2009 at 12:33AM

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Shamrock Sweets: 4 Unforgettable Irish Desserts

Soda Bread Tarte Tatin with Cashel Blue and Cider Ice

The original tarte tatin is a French upside-down apple tart cooked in a skillet or baking dish. The bottom of the pan is covered with butter and sugar, which caramelizes on the stovetop, and the tart is topped with apples and a pastry crust. After baking, it's inverted onto a serving plate, and the caramel then becomes the topping. The tart was invented over 100 years ago by the Tatin sisters, Fanny and Caroline, in Lamotte-Beuvron, France, while cooking at their family's hotel. The girls apparently forgot to put the crust in the tart pan, so they put it on top of the fruit, then flipped it over.

The technique has been adapted by many cooks, using a variety of fruits. Derry Clarke, chef proprietor of L'Ecrivain in Dublin, gives it a distinctly Irish identity by topping his version with a soda bread crust and serving it with Cashel Blue and cider ice, a lemony sorbet spiked with Tipperary-made blue cheese and cider. Make the ice at least six hours before you plan to serve it. Alternatively, top the tart with vanilla ice cream, if you wish.

Visit the Recipe Finder for the Soda Bread Tarte Tatin with Cashel Blue and Cider Ice recipe.