Tarte Tatin

Tarte Tatin

The classic French upside-down apple tart from the Tatin sisters of Orléans: apples caramelised in butter and sugar under a disc of puff pastry, flipped to reveal a glossy fruit crown. Best served warm with crème fraîche.

Prep

25 min

Cook

50 min

Total

75 min

Serves

6 to 8

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1.5 kg (3¼ lb (about 6 medium)) firm apples, peeled, halved and cored, Golden Delicious or Reinette; the original Tatin recipe uses Reine des Reinettes. Choose apples that hold their shape so they don't turn to applesauce in the caramel.
• •200 g (14 tablespoons (≈7 oz)) unsalted butter, divided: 150 g for the caramel, 50 g dotted over the apples
• •200 g (1 cup (≈7 oz)) caster sugar
• •1 sheet (1 sheet (about 280 g / 10 oz)) all-butter puff pastry, rolled into a circle roughly 28 cm / 11 in to cover the pan. Speculoos-style puff works; if you only have margarine-based puff it will lack flavour.
• •2 tbsp water, to stop the caramel seizing when the apples go in
• •1 pinch fine sea salt
• •crème fraîche, to serve, thick, cold; traditional accompaniment

Steps

1. 1 Use a 24 cm (9½ in) ovenproof skillet or Tatin dish — cast iron or heavy copper with a stainless handle is ideal. A non-stick pan is a common home substitute; note that it gives less even heat and the caramel can scorch more easily.
2. 2 Spread the 150 g butter evenly over the base of the pan and scatter the 200 g sugar and pinch of salt on top. Do not stir.
3. 3 Place the pan over medium heat and let the butter melt and the sugar dissolve, swirling the pan gently (still no stirring) until you have a deep amber caramel, about 8–10 minutes. Watch closely: caramel goes from golden to burnt in seconds. If using a pale pan, aim for the colour of strong tea; if using cast iron or copper, aim for a few shades lighter since the dark metal intensifies the look.
4. 4 Off the heat, arrange the apple halves, cut side up, in tight concentric rings over the caramel — pack them as closely as possible because they shrink. Use smaller halves to fill gaps.
5. 5 Dot the remaining 50 g butter over the apples and pour the 2 tbsp water around the edge (this prevents the hot caramel from hardening and cracking when it cools in the oven).
6. 6 Return the pan to medium heat and cook the apples for 12–15 minutes, basting occasionally with the caramel, until the apples have softened slightly, released their juices and the caramel has thickened to a syrup. Slide a knife in to check: a knife should slide into an apple half with just a little resistance — they will finish cooking in the oven.
7. 7 Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F / gas 6). Roll the puff pastry into a round about 28 cm (11 in) and prick it all over with a fork.
8. 8 Drape the pastry over the apples and tuck the overhanging edges down around the fruit and inside the rim of the pan. Make 2 small slits in the centre for steam to escape.
9. 9 Bake on the middle rack for 30–35 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden and crisp and the caramel is bubbling up at the sides.
10. 10 Let the tart rest in the pan for exactly 5 minutes — long enough for the caramel to loosen from the pan but short enough that it doesn't set again. Place a serving plate (or board) larger than the pan on top, wearing oven mitts, and in one decisive motion flip the tart.
11. 11 Lift the pan carefully. If any apple has stuck, pry it loose with a spoon and tuck it back into place; any stragglers of caramel in the pan can be scraped over the top.
12. 12 Serve warm, cut into wedges, with a generous spoonful of cold crème fraîche alongside.