I have been baking at home and professionally for a few years now and until last week I’d never made a Tarte Tatin. Visions of molten hot sugar flying across my kitchen as I flipped over a 400 degree pan of caramelized apples was enough to keep me at bay.
And then I read a recipe that gave me courage.
James Peterson’s tome of pastry aptly titled Baking (a great resource for any baker) offers a tip – start the day before. Bake the tart and allow it to cool completely in the pan. Then refrigerate the pastry for up to 12 hours allowing the sugar to cool and the apples to congeal together. Once it is thoroughly chilled, return the pan and it’s contents to the stove over medium high heat and gently, with splayed palms, rotate the tart to be sure that it doesn’t stick to the pan when you unmold it. With a plate held taut over the pan, quickly (and calmly) invert the pan onto the plate and voila!
Find a recipe with instructions, after the jump…
Tarte Tatin
Adapted from James Peterson’s ‘Baking’
15 – 18 medium to large baking apples (I prefer pink lady apples for baking)
¾ cup butter
¾ cup sugar
1 recipe of your favorite pie dough or store bought puff pastry, cut into a round just larger than the circumference of your pan
Peel, slice and core the apples. Then cut each half in half again creating quarters.
Combine butter and sugar in a 12 inch oven-safe saucepan. Cook until the mixture begins to caramelize – about 5 minutes – stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Once the mixture is a deep amber color and smells nutty start adding your apple quarters to the pan. Work in a circle standing the apple wedges on their ends. As you add more apples it will be easier to keep them upright. If the butter/sugar mixture at any point is getting too dark during this stage just take it off the heat and continue adding apples.
*At this point I put my prepared round of pie dough in the freezer and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Once you have added as many apples as will fit in the pan allow the mixture to cook over medium-high heat until the caramel is syrupy and comes only ½ inch up the apples. For me this took about 30 minutes. Keep in mind that as the apples cook they will shrink so you will need to continue adding apples to the pan to ensure it that there will be no gaps in the final tart. To check and see if the apples are done, pick one up and see if the bottom is golden brown. If it is, take the pan off the heat and place your very cold round of dough on top of the pan. Use the heat of the pan to soften the dough so that you can tuck the edges around the apples and down the sides of the pan.
Bake tart for roughly 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.
Allow the tart to cool completely in the pan. Once cooled place the entire pan in the refrigerator for 3 to 12 hours. A few hours before serving take the pan out of the refrigerator and place on the stove over medium high heat for about 40 seconds. Shift the pan every 10 seconds to ensure it’s heated evenly. With splayed palms try to rotate the pastry in the pan. When you are able to complete a full rotation the tart is ready. Take the pan off the heat and place a plate on top of the pan. Gracefully invert the pan so that the tart falls onto the plate.
Allow the Tarte Tatin to come to room temperature before serving. A sprinkling of powdered sugar makes for an even more beautiful presentation.
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FAQs
Also, since everything except the pastry is cooked, try baking the pastry conventionally (in the oven) then grill it for a few minutes to increase the heat on the pastry directly to avoid it becoming soggy.
Why is my tarte tatin so runny? ›
If you find your apple tarte tatin is too liquid, it means that either your fruit were old (pectin breaks down as fruit age) OR the apple layer didn't come to a full boil.
When to flip a tarte tatin? ›
Bake for about 30 minutes until the pastry is golden, then remove from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then place a plate, slightly larger than the pan, on top and then, very carefully, using oven gloves, invert the tart on to the plate. Best served warm, with crème fraîche.
Does a tarte tatin need to be served immediately? ›
For best results, cook a day or two ahead and keep in its pan or dish in the fridge, then reheat in the oven for 20 mins at 150C/130C fan/gas 2 an hour before serving. Turn out to serve as above.
What is unusual about tarte tatin? ›
Named after the woman who invented it, the Tarte Tatin (tart tah-TAN) is a famous French "upside-down" caramelized apple tart or Tarte aux pommes (caramélisé). Basically, the apples are underneath the dough – topsy-turvy indeed.
How do you keep tart pastry crisp? ›
Some people like to paint the surface of the pastry base with lightly beaten egg white after the beans have been removed and before returning the dish to the oven as the egg white cooks onto the surface of the pastry and can act as a slight sealant to help to keep the pastry crisp.
Why is tarte tatin upside down? ›
Because she was running out of time, she put the dough on top of the pie instead. After she flipped the pie over, she discovered that the apples had caramelized perfectly and the pie was an instant hit with the guests. Thus was born one of the most classic desserts in French cuisine.
Why does my tart have a soggy bottom? ›
Wet pie fillings + raw dough are a tricky combination. If the bottom crust doesn't set before the filling soaks in, it's going to be gummy. A metal pie pan placed on a preheated surface will set the bottom crust quickest; once cooked, the liquids from the filling above won't soak in, and as a result: no soggy bottom.
Which fruit is the principal ingredient of a traditional tarte tatin? ›
The tarte Tatin (French pronunciation: [taʁt tatɛ̃]), named after the Tatin sisters who invented it and served it in their hotel as its signature dish, is a pastry in which the fruit (usually apples) is caramelized in butter and sugar before the tart is baked.
Why is my tarte Tatin bitter? ›
Put the sugar for the caramel into the tatin pan on the hob over medium heat. Allow it to caramelise to a golden amber. Don't stir and don't let it go too dark, or the caramel will be bitter.
Apple Tarte Tatin is a classic French-style apple tart that requires only 4 main ingredients to make. It's different to an American apple tart in many ways: It is baked upside down, the caramel is cooked separately and it is way easier to make than a traditional American apple tart.
How do you store tarte Tatin overnight? ›
Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate, lightly covered, for at least one day or up to three days.
How do you keep tarte tatin from sticking? ›
Then refrigerate the pastry for up to 12 hours allowing the sugar to cool and the apples to congeal together. Once it is thoroughly chilled, return the pan and it's contents to the stove over medium high heat and gently, with splayed palms, rotate the tart to be sure that it doesn't stick to the pan when you unmold it.
What is the best pan for tatin? ›
This French upside-down apple pie, tarte tatin, is baked in a skillet—not a pie pan—with the bottom crust on top. The key to a successful tarte lies in the type of skillet you use. Cast iron, enameled cast iron, or a special tarte tatin mold, available at many kitchenware shops, are best.
How to warm tarte tatin? ›
If serving as to-go option, send chilled tarte tatin in pie tin with the following reheat instructions: Preheat oven to 350°F. Cover pie tin and bake for 10-12 minutes, until warmed through.
How do you keep fruit tarts from getting soggy? ›
The tart base has been baked and in order to prevent it from becoming soggy, Marc Ducobu advises you to brush it with a mixture of white chocolate and cocoa butter before adding the filling.
How do you keep bottom puff pastry from getting soggy? ›
Blind-bake your base before adding a filling to help to firm the base and avoid liquid being absorbed into it. Prick the base with a fork to help steam escape, cover with foil or parchment, and weigh it down with ceramic baking beans, uncooked rice or white sugar.
Why are my butter tarts soggy? ›
If your butter tarts unfortunately turn out too soggy, it's likely your filling was too watered down or your pastry was rolled too thin. Next time, make sure your pastry is only rolled out to a 1/4-inch-thickness. It may take a couple tries to perfect your butter tart, and that's totally OK!
