The Farm Table's French Apple Pie

BERNARDSTON, Mass. (Mass Appeal) - Brent Menke , Executive Chef at The Farm Table at Kringle Candle in Bernardston, joined us in the Mass Appeal kitchen to bring us a taste of their delicious menu with a recipe for a Tarte Tatin, or French Apple Pie.

The Farm Table at Kringle Candle
219 South Street
Bernardston, MA
(413) 648 - 5200
www.kringlefarmtable.com


Tarte Tatin: French Apple Pie

Ingredients:

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbs. maple syrup
• ½ tsp. salt
• 5 Golden Delicious Apples peeled, cored, and cut into quarters
• ¼ brown sugar
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 9 inch round of puff pastry

Directions:

1. Add the granulated sugar, maple syrup, and salt to a 9 inch sauté pan and cook over medium heat until the mixture turns to a golden brown caramel and just begins to smoke. Remove for the heat once it reaches this point.
2. Toss the apple quarters with the brown sugar, lemon zest and juice and allow the flavors to come together.
3. Arrange the apple quarters into concentric rings inside the 9 inch sauté pan on top of the caramel. Cover with the puff pastry, tucking it in around the apples, and bake in the center of the over for about 30 minutes or until the pastry in golden and the caramel is fragrant and bubbling around the edges.
4. Allow to cool for at least an hour in the pan letting the caramel and apples to set up. Place the pan onto a burner over high heat until the caramel begins to bubble again to release it from the pan. Invert onto a serving plate and serve!
    

About The Farm Table at Kringle Candle:

When this sturdy Bernardston colonial house was built in 1800, the American Revolution was recently-concluded. More than two centuries later, the faithfully- renovated structure surrounding you finds itself at the dawn of a new revolution. In a world grown weary of chemicals, pesticides, genetically-modified plants, fruits and animals, increasingly-educated consumers are turning away from petroleum-fueled factory operations situated a continent away. More and more, the thinking person embraces healthy, ethically- produced local foodstuffs of every kind. As we considered the power of the burgeoning farm-to-table eating movement, we realized we had found not only a method, but a name for this enterprise. To that simple end, The Farm Table offers honest nourishment for the body and elegant respite for the soul.

Look around you. The candlelit spaces, open-hearth oven, and comforting fireplaces speak wordlessly of a quieter, simpler time in New England history. Our menu similarly speaks of a better time in culinary history. Created by executive chef Brent Menke and featuring internationally- nuanced New American cuisine, a meal taken here is truly an experience to remember. Virtually every item we serve is sourced from our very own organic farm as well as growers within a 50-mile radius of The Farm Table.

Our concept is based upon our company motto: “The Way it Used to Be.” A truly good restaurant should be more than a place to feed you; it should nourish the body, educate the mind and entertain the spirit. These are our modest but steadfast goals. This old farmhouse has lived many lives in 200-plus years, but it has always been a home. And now we invite you to come and dine with us in the restaurant that has become our home: The Farm Table.
 

About Chef Brent Menke:

Brent has cooked professionally for nearly twenty years. Prior to joining The Farm Table, he served as Chef aboard Paraffin, one of the finest luxury motor yachts sailing the planet today.

Here, he provides a glimpse into his philosophies on cooking.

In my opinion, fine cuisine absolutely must be ingredient-driven. Without superior raw materials to work with, the best chef is inevitably doomed to fail. And I don’t like to fail, ever.

Being chef aboard Paraffin provided its own special set of challenges and rewards. Cruising to some of the most wondrous places on Earth yields one a real gastronomic bonus; access to some of the rarest, freshest ingredients of all. This provides exciting opportunities for a chef to expand his knowledge and imagination while creating new and - ideally – truly great food. Aboard Paraffin we served a well-travelled clientele that included celebrities, royalty and presidents. Consequently, we were frequently asked to create dishes. The demands could be monumental and at times, sleep was optional. No matter what, the show always went on – and with a smile. Challenging as it was, this experience gave me an astounding insight into the literal world of food at a relatively young age, and I valued every moment.

What has most shaped my career? Without question, my wife and her family. Her constant support – and time spent at the family farm in France - has taught me the critical importance of ingredients. My wife’s grandmother is a formidable battleship of a woman, strong and weathered with age, and fiercely protective of her family, yet she has such a natural way with food.