Tarte Tatin

Before you start

Tarte Tatin is baked upside down. Apples are packed tightly into a skillet of butter caramel, cooked on the stovetop until they begin to soften and turn amber, then covered with pastry and baked. Once out of the oven, the tart is turned onto a plate so the glossy, caramel-soaked apples sit on top of a crisp pastry base. Its name is linked to a hotel in the Loire Valley, though accounts of how it was created vary.

The apples matter most. Choose firm varieties that hold their shape, such as Golden Delicious, Pink Lady or Braeburn, and cut them into halves or thick quarters; thin slices dissolve. Pack them in tightly on their sides, because they shrink as they cook. Cook the caramel to a deep amber, not dark brown, and invert while it is still warm and fluid. Wait too long and the caramel sets, gluing the apples to the pan.

Ingredients

• Pastry250 g (about 9 oz) all-butter puff pastry — thawed in the refrigerator
• Caramel150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
• 85 g (6 tbsp) unsalted butter — cut into pieces
• ¼ tsp flaky or fine salt
• Apples1.4 kg (6 to 7 large) firm apples — Golden Delicious, Pink Lady or Braeburn
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract — optional
• To serve240 ml (1 cup) crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream

Method

1. Roll the puff pastry on a floured surface to about 3 mm thick and cut a 28 cm (11 in) round. Prick it all over with a fork, set it on parchment, and refrigerate while you cook the apples.
2. Peel, halve and core the apples, using a melon baller or spoon to scoop out the core neatly. Cut very large halves into thick quarters. Toss with the lemon juice.
3. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Sprinkle the sugar in an even layer over the dry skillet and set it over medium heat. Let it melt without stirring, swirling the pan as the edges liquefy, until it becomes a clear, deep amber caramel, about 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter and salt; it will bubble up hard. Return to low heat and stir until smooth, then add the vanilla.
5. Carefully arrange the apples in the caramel standing on their sides, rounded side down, packing them in tight concentric rings. Fill the center and squeeze in extra pieces wherever there is room.
6. Cook over medium-low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, spooning caramel over the apples occasionally, until they have softened at the edges, turned golden, and the juices have reduced to a thick, bubbling syrup.
7. Lay the cold pastry round over the apples and tuck the edges down between the fruit and the side of the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and deep golden.
8. Rest for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge, set the serving plate over the skillet, and, wearing oven mitts, flip both together in one firm motion. Lift off the skillet, replace any apples that stuck, and serve warm with crème fraîche.

Tips for success

• For the most compact tart, peel and halve the apples a day ahead and leave them uncovered in the refrigerator. They dry slightly and release less juice.
• Do not stir sugar while it melts. Swirling the pan keeps it from crystallizing.
• Invert over a sink or cutting board, away from your body, in case hot caramel runs off the plate.

Substitutions

Puff pastry

Use a single round of shortcrust or pâte brisée rolled 4 mm thick; the base is firmer and less flaky but cuts very cleanly.

Apples

Firm pears work the same way; quarter them and reduce the stovetop cooking time to about 15 minutes, since they soften faster.

Crème fraîche

Lightly sweetened whipped cream or plain Greek yogurt balance the caramel nearly as well.

Variations

Pear and ginger tatin

Use firm Bosc pears and stir 1 tsp grated fresh ginger into the caramel with the butter.

Calvados finish

Spoon 2 tbsp Calvados over the apples during the last 5 minutes of stovetop cooking.

Troubleshooting

Caramel set hard and the apples stuck

The tart cooled too long before inverting. Return the skillet to low heat for 1 to 2 minutes to loosen the caramel, then flip.

Too much liquid ran out when inverted

The juices were not reduced enough on the stovetop. Cook the apples until the syrup is thick and bubbling before adding the pastry.

Bitter, burnt taste

The caramel went past deep amber. Take it off the heat as soon as it reaches the color of a copper penny.

Storage

Tarte Tatin is best within a few hours of baking. Refrigerate leftovers, covered, for up to 2 days and reheat slices in a 175°C (350°F) oven for 10 minutes; the pastry softens but the flavor holds.

Safety notes

Caramel is far hotter than boiling water and causes serious burns. Use oven mitts, keep children away, and invert slowly and away from your body. Contains wheat and milk.