last year, turducken wrote about christina rosetti’s most-known poem goblin market and the me-too movement burning across the world. today would have been rossetti's one-hundred-and-ninety-second birthday, so another poem of hers is featured today - remember. the petrarchan sonnet is named for a poet who perfected the format, francesco petrarch - fourteen lines in total, divided into one octave (eight lines) stanza and one sestet (six lines) stanza with different rhythmic sets. the octave follows the rhyme scheme “abbaabba” and the sestet follows “cdcdcd” or “cdecde.” rossetti’s sonnet recites a narrator begging that she be remembered after death - so today, rosetti is remembered for her significant contributions to english poetry and western literature. in carrying on with that theme, the women of “me too” are remembered.
remember me when i am gone away,
do not forget when,
gone far away into the silent land;
it is no longer in headlines;
when you can no more hold me by the hand,
everywhere you look,
nor i half turn to go yet turning stay.
even though i have barely gone away.
remember me when no more day by day
do not forget even if you cannot see
you tell me of our future that you plann'd:
because i too thought life would be different:
only remember me; you understand
you understand
it will be late to counsel then or pray.
it will be too late to act.
yet if you should forget me for a while
if you push it all out of your mind
and afterwards remember, do not grieve:
there is no barter for your pity, just:
for if the darkness and corruption leave
to understand the darkness and corruption
a vestige of the thoughts that once i had,
honoring the woman injured
better by far you should forget and smile
remember the pain, the ferocity
than that you should remember and be sad.
remember.
foolproof tarte tatin
serves eight
ingredients:
½ rough puff pastry (see previous post for full recipe)
3 lb/seven or eight medium pink lady or any sweet-tart, firm baking apples
200g/ ⅓ cup maple syrup
74g/ ⅓ cup brandy , preferably apple brandy
8g/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
½ tsp plus a pinch of diamond crystal kosher salt
200g/1 cup sugar
43g/3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
all-purpose flour, for rolling out
vanilla ice cream, for serving
recipe:
rough puff pastry: see precious turducken for full recipe and preparation.
preheat the oven: arrange an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 275℉.
roast the apples: shave off a layer of flesh from the stem and bottom ends of the apples so they stand upright. peel the apples, then cut them in half through the stem. use a melon baller or round teaspoon measure to scoop out the cores and seeds, then slice out any remaining areas of core or stem. stand the apple halves upright in a ten-inch ovenproof skillet (it will be a tight fit). pour the maple syrup, brandy, and one teaspoon of the vinegar over the apples and add a pinch of salt. cover the skillet with foil and crimp around the edges to create a steam-tight seal.
transfer to the oven and roast the apples just until a cake tester or toothpick slides easily through the flesh, one hour fifteen minutes to one hour forty-five minutes, depending on firmness. they should be cooked just beyond al dente, but not so much that they break apart and turn into mush. (if you’re unsure, err on the side of slightly less cooked, but even slightly overcooked apples will still make a great tart.) the apples will turn brown during roasting, which is fine because they’re going to caramelize in the tart.
chill the apples: leaving the juices in the skillet, carefully transfer the hot apples to a large plate and refrigerate uncovered until cold, at least twenty minutes and up to overnight (if chilling longer than twenty minutes, cover the apples). don’t clean the skillet—you’ll use it in the next step.
cook down the apple juices to make the glaze: place the skillet with the apple juices over medium-low heat and bring the juices to a vigorous simmer. cook, swirling the skillet often, until the liquid is thick and syrupy, about two minutes. transfer the syrup to a heatproof cup or container (you should have between ⅓ and ½ cup) and set aside for glazing. rinse and dry the skillet.
make the caramel: sprinkle a few tablespoons of the sugar across the bottom of the skillet in an even layer. cook undisturbed over medium heat until most of the granules are melted into a clear liquid, about four minutes. sprinkle another layer of sugar on top of the first and cook, stirring around the sides of the skillet with a heatproof spatula to move the melted sugar toward the center, until mostly melted, another minute or so. repeat a few more times until you’ve used the entire one cup sugar and all of it is mostly melted (there may be a solid clump here and there), six to eight minutes. continue to cook the sugar, stirring occasionally, until it turns a deep amber color, moves very fluidly, and releases wisps of smoke, about five minutes. remove the skillet from the heat and slowly stir in the butter one piece at a time, taking care because the caramel will sputter, until the mixture is smooth. stir in the salt and remaining one teaspoon of vinegar and set the skillet aside to cool until the caramel is hardened, ten to fifteen minutes.
arrange the apples in the skillet: place the chilled apples rounded-side down in the skillet, overlapping them as needed to minimize gaps. depending on the size of your apples, you might have an extra half left over, but try to fit them very tightly as they’ll shrink some during baking. refrigerate the skillet while you roll out the pastry.
preheat the oven: Arrange an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 425℉.
roll out and cut the pastry: remove the pastry from the refrigerator and let it soften at room temperature for about five minutes. unwrap the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. use a rolling pin to beat the dough all across the surface to make it more pliable. dust over top and underneath the dough with more flour, then roll out, dusting with more flour as needed, to a twelve-inch round. prick it all over with a fork.
cover the apples with the pastry and chill: drape the pastry over the apples and use a large spoon to tuck the edges of the pastry down between the apples and the sides of the skillet. refrigerate the skillet for ten to fifteen minutes to firm up the pastry.
bake the tart: transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the tart for twenty minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350℉ and bake until the pastry is puffed, golden brown all over, and the caramel is bubbling around the sides, another thirty-five to forty-five minutes. carefully remove the skillet from the oven and set it aside to rest for five to ten minutes.
invert the tart: working over a sink to catch any flowing juices, carefully invert the skillet onto a wire cooling rack. remove the skillet and scrape off any apples that may have stuck, pressing them back into place on the tart.
glaze the tart and serve: while the tart is still warm, use a pastry brush to dab the reserved reduced juices over the apples to give them a high gloss (don’t feel the need to use all the glaze). if the glaze is very thick, warm it briefly until it’s more fluid. slide the tart off the rack onto a plate, slice, and serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.
original recipe courtesy of claire saffitz for dessert person. original photographs. all rights reserved by author.
this author pays respects to all exterior works and authors presented.
a downloadable pdf copy of the recipe can be found here.