Tarte Tatin
A French upside-down tart of caramelised apples beneath crisp puff pastry.
Preparation: 25 min · Cooking: 45 min · Total: 1 hr 20 min · 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1000 g firm tart apples — Such as Granny Smith; about 6–8 medium apples.
- 80 g unsalted butter — Milk allergen.
- 150 g granulated sugar — For wet caramel.
- 320 g all-butter puff pastry — Keep refrigerated; contains milk and usually wheat.
- 1 tsp vanilla extract — Add away from the heat.
- 30 ml water — For dissolving the sugar.
- 15 ml lemon juice — Prevents browning and balances the caramel.
- 1 g fine salt — For the caramel.
Instructions
Heat the oven and prepare the pastry
Heat the oven to 200°C conventional, or 190°C fan, with a rack in the middle. Put a rimmed baking tray on the rack to catch possible drips. Roll the cold puff pastry to a 27 cm circle about 3 mm thick, prick it all over with a fork, place it on baking paper and refrigerate. Keep the pastry and butter cold until needed; both contain milk and the pastry may contain wheat.
Peel and cut the apples
Peel the apples, cut them into quarters and remove every core and seed. Toss the quarters with the lemon juice. Choose enough similar-size pieces to pack the 24 cm pan tightly; close packing matters because the apples shrink. Keep fingers behind the knife and use a stable cutting board.
Make the caramel and start the apples
Put the sugar and water in the 24 cm ovenproof skillet. Heat over medium heat without stirring; swirl the pan gently only after the sugar dissolves. Cook for 7–10 minutes until the syrup is an even deep amber, not black. Remove from the heat and, standing back, add the butter in pieces, vanilla and salt; it will bubble vigorously. Never touch or taste hot caramel. Arrange the apples rounded-side down in a tight concentric layer. Return to medium-low heat for 10–12 minutes, spooning caramel over the apples twice, until they begin to soften but hold their shape.
Cover and bake with the retained timer
Remove the pan from the heat. Lay the cold pastry over the apples and, using a spoon rather than fingers near the caramel, tuck the edge down inside the pan. Cut four small steam vents in the centre. Place the pan on the hot rimmed tray and start the retained 30-minute timer. Bake at 200°C conventional, or 190°C fan, until the pastry is deeply golden, puffed and crisp and caramel bubbles around the edge. Begin checking at 25 minutes; if pale at 30 minutes, continue in 3-minute intervals. Use oven gloves because the skillet handle is oven-hot.
The pastry is deeply golden, puffed, dry and crisp with no raw dough; apples are knife-tender but hold their shape; caramel is amber and syrupy, not black or burnt.
Bake the Tarte Tatin: 1800 seconds
Rest briefly and invert safely
Remove the pan to a heatproof surface and rest exactly 8–10 minutes: the caramel should thicken slightly but remain fluid enough to release. Run a blunt knife around the pastry edge. Put a large rimmed serving plate upside down over the pan. Wearing dry oven gloves and keeping the plate and pan firmly pressed together, invert them in one decisive movement away from your body. Set down before lifting the pan. Do not invert over another person, and do not touch escaped caramel. Reposition any apple with a spoon.
Check pastry, apples and caramel
The pastry must be deeply golden, dry and crisp underneath with no raw dough. A knife should enter the thickest apple easily while the quarter still holds together, and the caramel should be amber and syrupy without black specks or burnt smell. If the pastry is pale before inversion, return the tart to the oven; after inversion, do not try to put the hot tart back into the pan.
The pastry is deeply golden, puffed, dry and crisp with no raw dough; apples are knife-tender but hold their shape; caramel is amber and syrupy, not black or burnt.
Serve and store safely
Cool for 10 minutes after inversion, then cut into eight wedges and serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers in a shallow covered container within 2 hours at 5°C or below and use within 3 days. Reheat once, pastry-side up, in a 180°C oven for 10–15 minutes until crisp and the centre reaches 74°C. Do not microwave if crisp pastry is desired. Cool the pan fully before washing hardened caramel with hot water.
Tips
- Pack apples very tightly because they shrink substantially during stovetop cooking and baking.
- Invert after 8–10 minutes: too soon is dangerously fluid, while too late may glue the apples to the pan.
Common mistakes
- The original 375 g apples and 750 g pastry reversed the correct balance of fruit and crust.
- Stirring dissolving sugar can promote crystals; gentle swirling is enough.
- Pale pastry becomes soggy after inversion.
Substitutions
- Firm pears can replace the apples by weight; use pieces of equal size and cook only until knife-tender.
Storage
Refrigerate within 2 hours at 5°C or below and use within 3 days.
Reheating
Reheat once, pastry-side up, at 180°C for 10–15 minutes until crisp and 74°C at the centre.
About this recipe
Tarte Tatin is the celebrated French upside-down apple tart associated with the Tatin sisters and their hotel in Lamotte-Beuvron. The familiar accident story is part of its legend, though its exact origin is debated.
Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.