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Research shows that the tarte Tatin was created accidentally at the Hotel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron, France, about 160 km (100 miles) south of Paris, in the 1880s. The hotel was run by two sisters, Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin. Stéphanie, who did most of the cooking left the apples cooking in butter and sugar for too long. Smelling the burning, she tried to rescue the dish by putting the pastry base on top of the pan of apples, quickly finishing the cooking by putting the whole pan in the oven.
And, apparently there are other versions of the story too. The concept of the ‘upside down tarts’ was not new. A specialty of the Hôtel Tatin, the sisters did not set out to create a ‘signature dish’. They never wrote a cookbook or published their recipe. They never even called it tarte Tatin. That recognition was bestowed upon them by Curnonsky, the famous French author and epicure, as well as the Parisian restaurant Maxim’s after the sisters’ deaths.
Original tarte Tatin is made by cooking apples in caramel sauce in cast iron skillet or oven-proof heavy-bottomed skillet, then covered with pâte brisée/shortcrust pastry, placed in oven and baked.
This recipe is a simpler version, which uses a non-stick cake pan and covering caramelized apples with store bought frozen puff-pastry. When choosing apples for a tarte Tatin, it is important to pick a variety that will hold its shape while cooking, and not fall apart into apple sauce. If found in your area, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gala, Jonathan and Braeburn are good varieties for baking.
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Tarte Tatin
Recipe by: Fae’s Twist & Tango (fae-magazine.com)
This recipe is for a non-stick 23 cm x 5 cm deep / 9″x2″ cake pan.
INGREDIENTS
• 1¼ Kilos/ 2¾ lbs/ 5 medium apples – used Envy apples
• 175 g/ ¾ cup+2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp water
• 45 g/ 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/16 tsp/ pinch salt
• 1 sheet puff pastry
DIRECTIONS
◊ Wash apples. Peel them, cut them in half. Other than one of the halves, slice each half into equal 3 wedges. Remove cores. This may be done a day in advance to dry them out. Don’t worry about discoloration, it disappears while cooking.
◊ Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
◊ Place rack on middle oven shelf and preheat to 190°C / 375°F.
◊ In a no-stick large pot, add sugar and water, on medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Do not stir, combine by swirling the pot. When sugar thickens and turns amber, add butter and swirl the pot until melted.
◊ Add cut apples to the pot and sprinkle salt. Cook the apples until the sauce darkens to a deep amber, caramel color. Using a wooden spoon, turn the apples as stirring to coat them with the caramel sauce. Sauce is done when it is thick and most liquid has evaporated. Be patient, thicker the sauce becomes, the better the result. Watch closely not to burn the caramel. Remove from heat to cool for 10 minutes.
◊ Be careful not to touch the hot caramel sauce with hands! Using two spoons or chopsticks, gently place the half apple in the center of cake pan. Arrange the rest of the apple wedges around, neatly, almost overlapping. Leave room around the outer edge of the apples for space to tuck the pastry into. Pour the caramel in the center of the cake pan.
◊ Cut puff-pastry 3cm/2″ all around bigger than the cake pan (roll the pastry to size if needed). Place the pastry over the top of the apples and tuck the edges tightly down inside the pan. Poke a few holes on the puff pastry with toothpick or tip of a knife for steam to escape. Place cake pan on the lined baking sheet and bake for 25 ~ 28 minutes or until pastry is golden. Place pan on a cooling rack and cool for 30 minutes.
◊ Rotate the pan gently to loosen the tart. Invert a round serving dish larger than the cake pan over the pan, and flip. If any apples are stuck to the pan or out of order, arrange back on tarte. Serve with crème fraîche, lightly sweetened whipped cream or ice-cream.
~ Bon Appétit! ~
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So, what’s cooking in your kitchen?
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Beautifully golden and delicious! I love tarte tartin, it’s one of my favourite desserts (actually, that goes for anything with fruit in it). I’ve never made it at home though… I’ve only gone as far as trying a caramelised onion version, which was so delicious! I will try your instructional. Great post as always Fae! x
Thank you, Laura. Caramelized onion tarte Tatin? Have you post it?
Desserts which mainly are fruits truly are special, and don’t make you feel guilty having them. 😀
Pray tell, who gets to eat all your delicious recipes Fae?!!! This is my all time favourite recipe blog and each time I come visit I am welcomed with not just beautiful food but the warmth from your kitchen as well. Sending you love from your true fans. We’ve been travelling and I’ve been working the last 6 months. Catch up soon x Sharon and the boys
What a pleasant surprise, my Darling Sharon! I usually make them for the Feast. So, many friends get to enjoy them. I viewed photos of your travel on FB. Precious One has sure grown. xx Now, I have to hear all about your new endeavor, so do write soon. <3
This is an OMG kinda sweet-tart treat! How pretty it looks! I’m sure my one year old toddler would love to try it 🙂
A gorgeous post indeed.
Love.
Oh yes, Nusrat, the fruit is cooked tender and easy for the little mouth to chew. The puff-pastry may be a little difficult to chew if your little one has only a few teeth. Baked with pâte brisée may be easier to eat. Unless tangy tasting apple variety is preferred, pick a sweeter variety for the little one. 🙂
Now that is what you call a happy accident! This has been on my list to try. Such a pretty dessert.
Hi Virginia, Please bake it, and post it soon, while apples are at their best and so many varieties are available. It is so~ good! 😀
This is such a pretty dessert and I’m sure it tastes as wonderful as it looks!
Hi Nancy, It really is as wonderful as it looks. Apples hold their shape and cooked in caramel sauce really is heavenly. 🙂
Such a lovely dessert and wonderful story to accompany it. I would love to try making this one day soon 🙂
Thank you, Justine. It is a fairly simple and quick dessert to make. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi Fae!
How are you? Oh gosh, I am soooo happy I found you again…since my address moved to http://www.nikibakes.co.uk I had a lot of trouble to find my old blog and luckily I managed to find you, yay!
How are you? You may be happy to know that I finally did it…I am publishing an ebook next Sunday! I wanted to share this with you because you were so supportive of me from day one…I hope you check it out 🙂 By the way…I LOVE your new website! Niki xxxx
Hi Niki, Good to hear from you! 😀 Congratulations on publishing an e-book! I saw your new, beautiful blog (needs ‘About’ & widgets 🙂 ), and ‘Liked’ your FB fan-page too. 🙂 Thank you for the visit, and letting me know where you are! <3
I just made one of these! Such a gorgeous dish, yours looks wonderful!
It really is, Mary, thank you. Each apple variety gives different flavor/tanginess and we can be creative in how to decorate the apple slices. 🙂
Looking stunning, Fae! One of the very few dessert I cannot resist! 🙂
I can see why, Sweet Francesca. Each apple variety gives different flavor/tanginess and we can be creative in how to decorate the apple slices too. 🙂
That is a wonderful looking tart Fae and I love the caramel .
Thank you, Gerlinde! 🙂
I myself am a Granny Smith kinda guy. Love the tartness. Your tarte looks professionally made, Fae, and I’m sure it tastes far better, too. I’ve not made one in ages but I do remember the tense moments leading up to the great flip. Never really had much of a problem with it but the moment one relaxes, that’s the time it will fail. Thanks for sharing another of your wonderful recipes.
Thank you, John. First time I made the tarte, I used Golden Delicious and it was tart. I know with Granny Smith it will be even more tart. Both were a hit. This time, I wanted to make it on the sweeter side (for my palate 🙂 ). I asked my grocer and he recommended Envy. To my surprise, our Safeway grocer knew his apples well. He cut samples of every apple variety for me and told me which one to use for what specific baking/cooking. 😮
Fae, tarte tatin is one of my favorite French dessert. Your tart looks absolutely amazing, love the texture and the caramel. Yummy! 🙂
Thank you, Linda. I remember all your beautiful tarte-Tatins. Your apple tarte-Tatin is special, using your recipe of pâte brisée/shortcrust pastry. 🙂
Thanks a lot Fae! 🙂 xx
I like the story background, which makes this dish so easy to remember!
I feel the same too. Once you know the history, you are reminded every time you see it. 🙂
Archived ! The recipe looks very easy to make ! Thanks for sharing, Ms. Fae
Sweet Ren, It really is very simple… and being mostly fruit, you wouldn’t feel guilty eating a big slice! 😀 )))
Beautiful Fae, loved learning about the history of the recipe and really love how you made it with the step by step instructions and photo’s. You are such a wonderful teacher and so knowledgable.
Oh dear Suzanne, I just somehow missed responding to this comment. Thank you for your kind comments always. Believe me, I learn more from you. I love to put step-by-step photos every time, but styling and photography of food is not my forte. 🙁
Simply beautiful! I have had baked apple tart before but not with puff pastry. The combination of apples and caramel sounds absolutely delicious! Thank you for the beautiful step by step photos.
Thank you so much, Homa. My step-by-step photos are more like a pick-a-boo/échantillon photos. 😀 ))) I think, it would be better to use pâte brisée/shortcrust pastry instead of puff-pastry. I appreciate your generous comment always. <3
Love, love, love your step by step photos! And absolutely love Tarte Tatin. Only I’ve never tried it with apples. I made it with pears as a single-serve dessert. 🙂
Sweet Vera, You for one know how much effort is needed for a true step-by-step photography. I try at least to show couple of the steps. Have you posted your single serve pear dessert? I did not see it in your Recipe Index 🙂
Those steps that you have showed are the ones that are most intimidating to me, arranging apples and tucking in the pastry… yours came out so perfect! I made my single – serve pear tatins, and posted on my FB page 😉 not as pretty, but good.
YES, please! This looks absolutely delectable, Fae…beautiful too!
Oh darling Nancy, I wish I was able to have it with you over tea. 🙂
My favorite apple tat, and you’re is just perfect. The caramel is so rich, the apple kept their shape…Beautiful! 🙂
Thank you. Coming from Chef Ronit, it makes me very happy. 🙂
Your tatin came out nicely, Fae.
You made my day, Stefan! Every time you visit me for an European recipe, I quickly go to your blog to see if you had posted one… and here is your perfect/authentic version of Tarte Tatin! I don’t have a pan that can be used on the stove and then put in the oven. When I do, I am going to make it your way. 🙂
Perfect Fae! I have a beautiful copper tarte tatin pan that I have never used! Maybe now is the time as you have inspired me with your lovely dessert 🙂
Thank you, Judi. Oh, how wonderful… are you able to make the caramel and cook the apples in it on the stove and then put it in the oven to bake? 🙂
Simple but lovely, Fae! I have had a few serendipitous ‘disasters’ myself!
[I have been trying to post comments for some time and I think this one may go through, since my computer settings were reset]
Hi Tonette, Happy New Year 2016! Your comment came through! It is such a bummer when ‘disasters’ happen at cooking. Then, you get the hang of it! 😀 )))
Lovely Fae. I first tried Tarte Tatin when I was visiting a friend in England. I loved it so much that I came back and made it a few times. Your recipe and beautiful apples reminded me that I need to make it over again. Loving the caramel and the puff pastry underneath. Yummmmm
It is a lovely tart. Different apples bring different flavor… for the ones who prefer it tangy or sweet. There are lots of varieties of apples available now, a good time to make one. 🙂
A lovely dessert!
Thank you, Daniela! 🙂
This is my favourite dessert. You’ve arranged the apples beautifully.
Hi Andrea, Thank you. The great thing is, you can arrange the apples in all different designs each time you make! 🙂