Tarte Tatin

About This Recipe

The Tarte Tatin was born from a happy accident at the Hôtel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron in the late nineteenth century, when the Tatin sisters supposedly placed a forgotten apple tart in the oven upside-down and invented a legend. The genius of the dish lies in its caramel: the apples and sugar cook together in the pan until the juices reduce into a rich, amber toffee before the pastry lid is laid over the top and the whole thing bakes in the oven. When turned out, the fruit sits glossy and burnished, the pastry perfectly crisp. It is classically served warm with a generous spoonful of crème fraîche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1.2 kgfirm dessert apples(such as Cox, Braeburn or Granny Smith, peeled, quartered and cored)
• 150 gunsalted butter(cut into cubes)
• 180 gcaster sugar
• 1 teaspoonvanilla extract
• 1 pinchfine sea salt
• 320 gall-butter puff pastry(shop-bought or homemade)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the apples

   Peel, quarter and core the apples. Pat dry with kitchen paper — excess moisture is the enemy of good caramel. Set aside.

2. 2

   Make the caramel

   In a 24 cm oven-safe skillet or tarte Tatin pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar in an even layer and cook, without stirring, until the sugar melts and turns a deep amber caramel, 8–10 minutes. Swirl the pan occasionally but do not stir. Add the vanilla and a pinch of salt.

   Watch the caramel carefully — it goes from amber to burnt very quickly. Pull it off the heat when it reaches a rich mahogany colour.

3. 3

   Arrange the apples

   Remove from the heat. Arrange the apple quarters tightly, cut-side up, in concentric circles in the caramel. They will shrink as they cook, so pack them in as firmly as possible. Return to medium heat and cook for 15 minutes, basting the apples with the caramel occasionally, until they soften and the caramel is thick and bubbling.

4. 4

   Add the pastry lid

   Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Roll out the puff pastry to a circle just slightly larger than the pan. Drape the pastry over the apples, tucking the edges down the sides of the pan to encase the fruit. Pierce the pastry a few times with a fork to allow steam to escape.

5. 5

   Bake

   Bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes until the pastry is deep golden and cooked through. Remove and leave to rest in the pan for exactly 5 minutes — no longer or the caramel will seize.

6. 6

   Invert and serve

   Place a large serving plate over the pan. In one confident motion, invert the tart onto the plate. Lift the pan away carefully. Rearrange any apple pieces that have shifted. Serve warm with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.

Variations

• •

  Pear tarte Tatin: replace the apples with firm Conference pears and add a splash of Calvados to the caramel.

• •

  Banana tarte Tatin: use slightly underripe bananas, halved lengthways, for a quick tropical version.

• •

  Savoury tarte Tatin: make with shallots, Gruyère and thyme for an impressive starter.

Storage

Best eaten the day it is made. Leftovers can be refrigerated and gently rewarmed in a low oven, though the pastry will lose some of its crispness.

Frequently Asked Questions