Tarte Tatin
Upside-down apples in dark caramel under crisp pastry
- Makes
- 1 tart (24 cm / 9½ in ovenproof pan)
- Hands-on
- Total
- Level
- Some skill
Apples cooked in butter and caramel until amber and soft, covered with pastry, baked, then turned out so the glossy fruit sits on top. It takes some nerve at the flip, but very little skill, and store-bought puff pastry is well at home here.
Ingredients
- 6firm apples (about 1.1 kg) (2½ lb)e.g. Cox, Braeburn, Granny Smith or Golden Delicious
- 120 gsugar (½ cup + 2 tbsp)
- 30 mlwater (2 tbsp)
- 60 gsalted butter, cubed (4 tbsp)or unsalted + a pinch of salt
- 5 mlvanilla extract (1 tsp)
- 250 gall-butter puff pastry (9 oz)or half batch flaky pastry from Shortcrust and Flaky Pastry
- Diet
- Vegetarian
- Allergens
- gluten, milk
- Origin
- France
- Season
- Autumn, Winter
Method
- Peel, quarter and core the apples. Leave them uncovered at room temperature while you work; slightly dried apples hold together better.
- Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Roll the pastry 3 mm thick and cut a round 2 cm wider than your pan. Prick it all over with a fork and chill it on a plate.
- In a 24 cm (9½ in) ovenproof frying pan or tarte tatin dish, heat the sugar and water over medium heat, swirling (not stirring) until the sugar dissolves. Boil without stirring, swirling now and then, for 6–8 minutes, until it turns a deep amber, like strong tea.
- Off the heat, add the butter and vanilla; it will bubble up. Swirl until smooth.
- Arrange the apple quarters standing on their sides, rounded side down, packed tightly in circles; they shrink as they cook. Return to medium-low heat and cook 15–20 minutes, until the apples are half-tender and the caramel has thickened and darkened. Carefully turn each piece over once halfway with a fork.
- Let the pan cool for 5 minutes. Lay the pastry round over the apples and tuck the edges down inside the pan with a spoon.
- Bake 25–30 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and deep golden and the caramel bubbles at the edges.
- Rest 5 minutes. Run a knife round the edge, cover the pan with a serving plate larger than it, and, wearing oven gloves, flip pan and plate over in one swift, confident motion. Lift off the pan and replace any apple that stuck. Serve warm with crème fraîche.
Why it works
Caramel is sugar broken down by heat into hundreds of new compounds, some bitter and some deeply aromatic, so cooking it to dark amber gives the tart its depth. Apples cooked first on the stove soften and release water that reduces into the caramel, rather than flooding the pastry in the oven. Baking pastry on top, then inverting, means the crust stays crisp while the fruit gets all the sauce.
Common mistakes
- Pale caramel. It tastes only sweet; take it to deep amber.
- Loosely packed apples, which collapse into a heap. Wedge them in tightly.
- Waiting too long before flipping. The caramel sets and glues the apples to the pan; flip within 5–10 minutes.
Variations
- Pear tatin
- Use 6 firm pears, halved and cored, and add a pinch of ground cardamom to the caramel.
- Shallot tatin
- For a savory version, use 600 g peeled banana shallots, 30 g sugar, butter, thyme and a splash of balsamic vinegar.
Make ahead and storage
Best served within an hour or two of baking. You can cook the apples in caramel up to 6 hours ahead; rewarm on the stove before adding the pastry and baking.
Notes
Fan oven: 180°C (350°F). Use a pan with a handle that is oven-safe. Caramel is extremely hot; keep children away and wear long sleeves.
