Tarte Tatin

Have you ever had a Tarte Tatin? If you haven’t here is your opportunity to try this amazing dessert! It originated in the Hotel Tatin in France from an apple pie recipe gone wrong. But it turned out great! The guest all loved it and it became the hotel’s signature dish. Which is also where the name is derived from.

What a great mistake to make because this tart is so delicious! The apples are browned in a buttery caramel sauce then topped with a flaky puff pastry crust, baked, inverted, then served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It may look fancy and complicated but it is actually pretty simple to make. I made my own puff pastry dough, click here for the recipe. I recommend you make the puff pastry yourself but if you must, you can use a store bought one. It won’t be as good though, just fyi. So if you want to impress your guests, family or simply yourself, go make this amazing tart! And good luck not having seconds 😉

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Tarte Tatin

This recipe yields one 9 inch tart

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 6 to 8 granny smith or honeycrisp apples
• 1 puff pastry dough

Method

Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Roll out your pastry dough. Cut it a tiny bit bigger than the circumference of the pan you will be baking the tart in. You can use the rim of the pan as a gauge. Perforate the dough with a fork several times (to release air while it bakes) then set it aside.

Peel your apples, cut them in quarters and remove their cores. Place a frying pan on medium to low heat. (You can use an oven safe pan or you can use a regular pan then transfer the apples in a pie dish.) Put the sugar in the pan and let it dissolve until it becomes a golden brown syrup. Add your butter and vanilla, then stir when the butter has melted. (You might feel like you are burning the sugar but it will be ok.) If using an oven safe pan, arrange the apples in the pan as shown in the photo and let them cook for about 10 minutes. Just shake the pan a little, no need to stir. If you don’t have an oven safe pan, stir the apples in the sugar mixture and let them cook for about 10 minutes. Then transfer them into a pie dish, arranging them as shown in the photo and pour the remaining sauce over the apples.

Place the puff pastry dough over the apples and tuck it in around the edge of the pan. Place it in the oven and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden. Remove from the oven and let it cool for at least 5 minutes. Place a plate or serving dish on top of the tart and flip it to remove it from the pan. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Enjoy!