Les Poissonchats

I do make various kinds of tarte tatin with my guests over the summer, salty versions mostly, because it’s such a French classic. Apples around here are usually just coming in season when we close the castle for guests, so in summer I use tomatoes, or eggplant or courgettes.

We’ve had a fabulous season this year, with the most wonderful visitors from all over the world, what a privilege, to be welcoming all of you at my home and cook with you and show you the beautiful lands that surround the castle. We’ve been cooking epic soirées, drinking so MUCH good wine, visited vintners, brocantes, distillers, fairytale churches, castles and whatnot. Thank you so much, and I can’t wait for the 2026 season! I’m being very late with publishing the dates this year, as I’m pulling together some new things and am waiting for confirmation concerning some very exciting things (speaking Antiques&Art retreat in August, yay!).

I will run a traditional Fête de la Saint Jean culinary retreat from Thursday 18 June to Sunday 21 June 2026. This is the time when midsummer is celebrated, and we’ll follow in the tradition by setting the scene to celebrate those wonderful long summer nights, learning about foods connected with the Saint Jean and preparing a rustic French country dîner. Send me a message at hello@lespoissonchats.com if you’re interested in joining this one.

Then taking what I’ve been doing a lot in the past couple of years a little more official, from June to September 2026 I will also open the castle for private bespoke events from 3 to 8 participants with a fully tailored programme. This has aways been such a hit with you so I’ve pulled together an offering and freed up loads of dates to make sure you’ll find yours. Send me a message at hello@lespoissonchats.com if you’d like to book with a private group for 2026.

Looking so much forward to hearing from you!

And now to the tarte tatin:

What you’ll need

• 10 medium sized apples
• 120g demi-sel fresh farm butter
• 150g sugar
• Some really good puff pastry – ask your local bakery if they can make you some fresh one
• A shallow ovenproof dish. The trick of the trade with tarte tatin is to have a good dish – I use really old tin moulds I sometimes find at the brocante, they’re magic.

How you make it

Start with the apples, peel them and cut them in half, remove the core and stem, cut into slices about half a centimetre. Keep the halves together. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

Place the mould on the stove and put on medium heat, melt the butter and add the sugar, mix. Maybe the whole thing separates but that’s of no matter, it’ll nicely blend once it’s baking. Increase the heat and place the apple halves with the cut side facing upwards in the mould, stay put and wait until the whole thing caramelises. Immediately take off the heat once it’s browned. Roll out the puff pastry about 2cm larger than the mould you’re using, pinch loads of holes with a fork in it so it won’t go bubble up. Place the pastry on the apples and tuck in along the rim, so the apples will cook in their very own steam.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is prettily browned.

Once it’s done, let cool for 2-3 minutes, check that the pastry doesn’t stick to the mould by running a knife alongside it. Then take a shallow dish that is larger than the tarte and place it on the mould. Wear heat proof gloves in case you’re doing this for the first time. Turn the tarte, gently remove the mould et voilà.

How you eat it

Warm. Ideally with some really really fresh crème fraiche straight from the farm, which out here unfortunately is only to be had in spring and summer. Whipped cream works very well as a substitute, just don’t put too much sugar into it. Now the tarte tatin, in case you haven’t already, will instantly make you come to terms with the many charms of autumn, will make you, in fact, wonder why you insisted so much on summer, when eventually, all that matters is a foggy morning and a tarte tatin straight from the oven.