Did you understand already while seeing the title how much I am in love with making dough, tarts, tartlets of all kinds? Sweet, savoury, or both together, I just love them. I just cannot explain why I have this attraction with les tartes (better to say this in French!).
It might come from the following. Since I was very small, I have always seen my mum making tarts. Whether she was using pâte brisée, pâte feuilletée, pâte levée or pâte sablée, she was always making her own dough. And what do you think a kid like me wanted to do when she saw her mummy her hands full of sticky flour? She wanted to join in! Hence I have always loved to get sticky hands while making dough. The roughest methods are the best!
I wanted to participate in the Weekend Cookbook Challenge #3 organized by Weekend Cookbook Challenge which theme is Orange. It could not have been a better choice as the little visual me loves the colour Orange (P. even once made me promise that I would not buy any more orange kitchen appliances!).
I found my inspiration in one of my amazing food magazines (yes, I already talked about that here). This time around, I used a recipe from Cuisine et Vins de France (février-mars 2006).
While the recipe suggests to buy puff pastry ready made, I decided to make my own. Of course, I needed to keep the kid in me happy!
Puff Pastry Making
Proportions:
- 400 g flour
- 250 g butter (room temp. but not too soft)
- Salt
- Water
Most of the work involved in this tart is in the making of the dough itself. The rest is pretty straightforward. As much as you might think it is a hard process, once you have done it a few times, it is very easy.
You first need to do la détrempe which is a mere combination of flour and water, with salt.
While you add the water to the flour and salt, you need to add as much water as needed, so that you get a dough that is elastic, not too wet, not too dry. It should detach from your fingers. I cannot tell you how much water to add, you really have to go slowly and add little by little, while working the dough with the tips of your fingers.
Once this is done, you need to flour a working surface and roll your dough into a nice long rectangular. In the middle, place the butter cut in long pieces. Flip both sides of the dough over the butter lengthwise, so that you cover the butter and then tap on the dough with a rolling pin. Fold the two ends of the rectangular towards the middle to form a square. Then roll your dough again in the opposite direction. If the dough sticks to the rolling pin (because of the butter), sprinkle some flour on top. You will have another rectangular. Flip both ends again to form a square. Place in a clean towel and place in the fridge for 30 mns. Repeat the process two to three times (roll, flip etc). The more you repeat the process, the more layers you will have. This process is what makes your pastry puffy. Easy non? If my explanations fail to convince you, I will rework at explaining better and provide pictures next time.
Photo presented in the Foodography event on Flickr.
Now of course, you always have the option to buy prepared puff pastry. I have not yet found one I liked in the stores here in the US (and I have not yet asked a baker for some!)
Tartelettes Tatin à la mangue – Mango Tatin Tartlets
Next to my love for tarts, there is the Tatin story. Do you remember those?
A similar process is used for the sweet version of the typical Tarte Tatin. Instead of apples, this recipe uses mangoes. Tatins are fun to make, just a little twist to your regular tarts. So jump in for the fun!
You need:
- 250 g puff pastry
- 4 mangoes (not too ripe)
- Zest of an organic lime
- 50 g butter
- 60 g sugar
- 2 tbsp unsweetened grated coconut
Steps:
- Preheat you oven at 210 C ( 410 F)
- Peel your mangoes and make slices.
- Melt the butter in a pan.
- Add the sugar and then the mangoes slices. You want them to caramelize (5 mns or so).
- Roll your puff pastry on a floured surface. Make small holes on top with a fork.
- Take individual ceramic molds and in each, place carefully the caramelized slices of mangoes.
- Place a circle of dough on top (same size as the mold or slightly bigger).
- Cook in the oven for about 10 mns first, then reduce the heat to 170 C (330 F) for 25 to 20 more mns. Check regularly.
- Take out of the oven and let cool for 1 to 2 mns.
- Flip the tarts on plates.
- Decorate with lime peels and grated coconut.
ooh, mango tart. this looks great! can almost smell the mango, lime and coconut!
Wow! Your tart is breath taking. Thank you so much for participating in the Weekend Cookbook Challenge and contributing this wonderful post! 🙂
I love mango!!!Thanks for the recipe, it looks so delicious 🙂 BTW, the welcome post for DMBLGIT (2006 #3) has been posted @ my blog.
Hugs from Panama!
Hi Bea, your mango tart looks wonderful–so bright and sunny. I must say your blog is beautiful and your pictures are stunning!
Hi Béa,
I haven’t read this magazine. So thank you for this recipe. I’ll try it with vegetal fat.
Hi Béa,
What I want to know is, how do you peel your mangos? As much as I love them, I find peeling them is usually such a sticky mess!
Hi Kat,
Summer is here, eh?
Alicat,
Thanks for hosting the event and the compliment.
Melissa,
Yes mangos are good, aren’t they? I look forward to reading more about DMBLGIT on your blog! Thank you.
Michèle,
Merci! Yes this tart was very welcomed as a first step towards spring and summer! Yeah! And also, thanks for the compliment.
Virginie, thanks for stopping by! Get the magazine for the goodies 😉 And good idea for the vegetable fat. It will work as fine.
Elise,
Yes mangos are a pain to prepare. I peeled them and then started by making an incision, so that it is easier to cut the flesh close to the stone. It is almost like you are running your knife very close to the stone. Then, I sliced the pieces I extracted. Hope this helps!
looks great Bea! I have to put it on my list to do!
Oh, je ne les avais pas vues. Elles sont magnifiques et j’ai tout ce qu’il faut pour les faire, merci pour l’idee.
Elles sont vraiment superbes ces tartes ! Merci pour la recette !
just been to carefour and i bought well french puff pastry
patry for pies (for emergencies u know…. )
am off to the asian store this fri
thats when a cargo arrives from the Philippines bearing mango
hmm i printed the recipe already 😉
bonjour bea, i did the Mango Tatin on January , with a ready made pastry it was delicious. But your mango tatin looks lovely and delicious. I am sure with a “home made pastry” just mmmm must be a “regal!”. Thanks for the Tatin story.
Looks yummy, Bea! I’ve made red onion tatin and cranberry tatin, so maybe it’s about to try a mango one soon:)
Thanks Ilva! They are just like your Italy, sunny!
Gracianne et Marie-Laure, merci bien et bonne chance si vous decidez de les faire.
Sha,
ahaha emergency food? yes I know that feeling. Lucky you to get mangoes directly from the Philippines!
Relly, did you post about the tart?? Miam!
Pille, thank you. Miam, I would try your red onion one, do you have a recipe??
Thanks everyone for your comments!
thanks for stopping by my humble page bea!
i am so blown away by your site. beautiful photos & recipes. baking and dough scares me but the salivation your post is causing has kind of inspired me to think (just think for now) of making a homemade puff pastry. 🙂 wow, those mango tarts look so delicious! sigh… puff pastry. what’s not to like?
Bea – it’s not mine, its Nigella’s (though the addition of blue cheese was all my idea:), and of course you can try it. The recipe is here:
http://nami-nami.blogspot.com/2006/01/upside-down-onion-pie.html
Looks so delicious! I have a mango and I love to make pastry too, so what else is there to do?!
Thanks Yonny for your nice note. I cannot wait to read when you start to make puff pastry! Go go!
Pille, thanks!
Thanks Emma. I think it looks to me that you are well equipped to try 😉
Bea–my goodness, everything you make it so beautiful! This looks delicious. I made made puff pastry once, many years ago, then gave it up for the ease of store bought dough. Perhaps this will inspire me to try again!
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Mmmm they surely are devine Béa, thank you!
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bea i’ve been looking for this recipe all over the site…me too i love tarts they are so simple and perfect and i can never find a decent tart dough here in the US. I have seen recipes that say you should use a food processor and its really easy. What do you think of that? Have you tried that way?
I’m looking forward to trying this pate.
also, do you know how to make vol au vent? can you post some instructions or recommend me to a site that has the recipe?
thanks
Tatin faite avec une pâte du commerce.
Beaucoup de goût et de couleur.
Je suis triste, il n’en reste plus. Mais maintenant que j’ai la recette.
Yum, yum, yum. Just made a Pear version witth cardamom and ginger…………..delicate, refined, delicious