Tarte Tatin
Ingredients
- 8-10 firm apples (traditionally Reine des Reinettes or Calville), peeled, halved and cored
- 100 g butter
- 150 g sugar
- 1 disc of shortcrust pastry (pâte brisée), about 25cm
Tarte Tatin was invented at a hotel-restaurant in Lamotte-Beuvron by the Tatin sisters, as the story goes, after Stéphanie Tatin forgot to line her pan with pastry before caramelizing apples and had to lay the dough over the top and bake it that way. Traditionally made with firm baking apples over a butter-and-sugar caramel and a plain shortcrust (rather than puff) pastry, the tart is baked apples-down and flipped just before serving so the crust ends up underneath the glossy, caramelized fruit.
Method
In a heavy, ovenproof skillet, melt the butter with the sugar over medium heat until it turns a deep amber caramel.
Arrange the apple halves tightly, cut-side up, over the caramel, packing them closely as they will shrink during baking.
Cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes to soften the apples slightly and deepen the caramel.
Roll the pastry into a circle slightly larger than the skillet and lay it over the apples, tucking the edges down around the fruit.
Bake at around 200°C (400°F) for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crisp.
Let the tart rest for a few minutes, then invert it onto a serving plate while still warm, so the caramelized apples end up on top.
Ingredients
- 8 firm apples (Reinette, Cox, or Boskoop), peeled, halved and cored
- 250 g sugar
- 25 g butter, plus a few extra dice reserved
- 1 vanilla pod
- 1 disc of puff or shortcrust pastry
Alain Ducasse's École de Cuisine version leans on precision rather than speed: the apples are arranged tightly in a rosette pattern, which he notes prevents pockets of liquid from forming and keeps the surface smooth once the tart is unmolded. A whole vanilla pod is cooked into the caramel, and the assembled tart bakes at a gentler 170°C for well over an hour, rather than a hotter, shorter bake, giving the apples more time to soften evenly without over-reducing the caramel.
Method
Cook the sugar in a heavy, ovenproof skillet (about 21cm) over medium heat until it forms a deep amber caramel.
Off the heat, stir in the 25g of butter and split in the vanilla pod, scraping in a few of the seeds.
Arrange the apple halves tightly in a rosette pattern, cut-side up, packing them closely with no gaps, and dot the reserved butter over the top.
Cook gently over low-medium heat for a few minutes to start softening the apples and let the caramel work its way around them.
Roll the pastry into a circle slightly larger than the skillet and lay it over the apples, tucking the edges down around the fruit.
Bake at 170°C (340°F) for about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the apples are fully tender and the pastry is deeply golden.
Let the tart rest for a few minutes, then invert it onto a serving plate while still warm.
