Tarte tatin is a French pastry that normally uses apples, caramelising it in butter and sugar, before baking it in a tart shell. A common story goes that the tarte tatin was created accidentally at the Hotel Tatin, close to Paris. Stephanie Tatin, a cook there, was rather overworked one day. She started to make a traditional apple pie but left the apples cooking for too long. She quickly moved all the process, and overturned the dish and served it. To her surprise, the hotel guests greatly appreciated the dish. There are several other origin stories too, but what matters most is that the dish was a hit. Today, the tarte tatin is popular all over the world and several cooks have invented their own variations and versions of the dish. So follow this most delicious dessert recipe of the classic tarte tatin and learn how to make a brand new dessert. Who knows, once you're comfortable, you could start experimenting with the recipe too, and create something magical just like Stephanie did.
Ingredients
For the tart dough:
- 200 gm all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 50 gm granulated sugar
- 113 gm cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 large egg, lightly whisked
For the apples:
- 100 gm granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seed scraped and reserved
- 90 gm cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces + more for greasing
- 10 medium sized apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
For serving:
- Whipped cream
- Vanilla ice cream
Directions:
- First, make the tart dough. In a bowl, sift in the flour, sugar and salt. Mix well. Then, using your hands, add the cold butter to the mixture and start mixing it in. As you keep mixing, small pea-sized chunks will form. This is normal. Next, add an egg and whisk it in until the dough comes together and looks smooth. Once fully incorporated, shape the dough into a disc. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least two hours, or overnight if you have the time.
OR
You can also make the dough in a food processor. Add the flour, sugar and salt to a bowl. Pulse a couple of times with a handheld mixer or a stand mixer with a hook attachment. This aerates the mixture. Then add the cold butter cubes and pulse until you see pea-sized chunks, and then stop. Then add the egg and pulse until everything is well combined. Then invert the dough onto a clean workstation and knead it until it is smooth. Shape it into a flat disc, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
- Now make the caramelised apples. For that, butter a pan and set aside. In a bowl, add the sugar and vanilla. Sprinkle this mixture evenly in the pan. Spread the butter over teh sugar. Then slice the apples into thin slices and place them in teh pan, one side facing down, in a circular pattern, overlapping slightly. Place the pan on the stove over medium heat and cook until you see bubbles forming. Then reduce te heat and continue cooking it until the liquid from the apples turns a deep golden brown color, like caramel. This should take about 10 minutes. Once the color is achieved, immediately turn off the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 350F or 177C.
- Sprinkle flour over a clean workstation and bring out the dough. Roll it out with a rolling pin dusted with flour. Keep turning the dough a few inches clockwise as you roll so that it doesn't tear. Then use a knife to cut out a circle slightly bigger than the pan. Place the dough circle over the apples. Tuck down the edges of the dough between the apples and the pan.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and bake the tatin for about 45 minutes. The exact time will depend on the machine you're using. Keep baking till it turns a golden brown color.
- Then remove from the oven and let it cool slightly. Then place the serving plate on top of the pan and flip the pan so that the tatit drops on the plate, tart side down.
- The tatin can be served hot or cold, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream, or plain.
Notes, tips and tricks:
- Make sure you choose a pan that is oven-safe.