AI-generated image
Tarte tatin
Upside-down apple tart
Upside-down caramelised apple tart from the Sologne
FrenchTarte tatin is said to have been created at the Hôtel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron, in the Sologne, south of Orléans, where the Tatin sisters cooked for hunting parties in the 1880s. The apples are cooked in butter and sugar until they turn amber, covered with pastry, baked, then turned out so the glossy caramelised fruit sits on top of a crisp base. It is the French family dessert of autumn and winter, served warm with crème fraîche. This version uses an all-butter shortcrust made without egg. Chef's tip: pack in more apples than seem possible, as they shrink; using too few is the common mistake and leaves a flat tart with gaps.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 6 oz plain flour
- 3 ½ oz cold butterdiced
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 3 tbsp ice-cold water
For the apples
- 5 ½ oz caster sugar
- 2 ⅛ oz butterdiced
- 2 ⅝ lb firm apples (such as Braeburn or Reinette)about 7, peeled, cored and quartered
- 1 pinch salt
- 7 oz crème fraîche (optional)to serve
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (3)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Rub 3 ½ oz cold butter into 6 oz plain flour and 1 tbsp caster sugar until it looks like coarse crumbs. Add 3 tbsp ice-cold water and press together into a disc. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Scatter 5 ½ oz caster sugar evenly over the base of a 24 cm ovenproof frying pan. Heat over a medium heat without stirring, swirling the pan, for 5–7 minutes, until it melts into a deep amber caramel that smells like toffee.
6 minStep 3: Take off the heat and stir in 2 ⅛ oz butter and 1 pinch salt; it will bubble up. Pack in 2 ⅝ lb firm apples (such as Braeburn or Reinette) cut-side up in tight circles, standing them on their sides.
Step 4: Return to a medium heat and cook for 10–12 minutes, until the apple juices bubble and the caramel darkens again. Baste the apples with the caramel.
12 minStep 5: Roll the pastry into a circle 2 cm wider than the pan. Lay it over the apples and tuck the edge down inside the pan. Cut two small steam holes.
Step 6: Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the caramel bubbles up at the edges.
28 minStep 7: Rest for 5 minutes. Put a plate over the pan and, wearing oven gloves, turn it over quickly in one movement. Lift off the pan and push back any apples that stuck. Serve warm with 7 oz crème fraîche.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 370 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tarte tatin take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of cold butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Sandwich grecKebab baguette
In Paris, a "grec" is the late-night kebab sandwich named after the Greek-run shops that first sold it in the Latin Quarter. On rue de la Huchette and rue Saint-André-des-Arts near Saint-Michel, students queue after a night out for crusty bread or pitta stuffed with meat shaved from a turning spit, lettuce, tomato and onion, a garlicky white sauce, and, the Paris touch, a handful of fries pushed right inside. This home version marinates chicken thighs in spiced yoghurt, sears them hard and slices them thin, with oven fries. It contains milk, egg (in the mayonnaise) and wheat. Chef's tip: slice the meat thinly across the grain after resting; thick chunks don't feel like a grec.
Basque burnt cheesecake
This crustless cheesecake was created in the early 1990s at La Viña, a pintxos bar in the old town of San Sebastián (Donostia) in the Basque Country, and is now famous around the world. It's baked very hot so the top caramelises almost black and the sides rise and crack, while the middle stays soft and creamy, almost runny. There's no base and no water bath, and the rough, rustic look is the point: it's lined with crumpled baking paper. La Viña uses a spoonful of wheat flour; cornflour does the same job and keeps it gluten free. Chef's tip: take it out of the oven while the centre still wobbles like a soft set custard; it firms up as it cools, and if it looks set in the oven, the middle will be dry instead of creamy.
Spanish
BourrideFish stew with garlic sauce
Bourride is the fish stew of Sète and the Provençal coast, a quieter, creamier cousin of bouillabaisse eaten for Friday lunch and summer dinners by the sea. Firm white fish poaches in a broth of fennel, leek, orange peel and thyme, then the broth is thickened with a rich garlic aïoli until it turns silky and pale gold. It is high in protein and suitable as part of a balanced diet; skip the traditional bread or keep it to one thin slice, and serve with steamed greens. About 400 kcal and 8 g carbohydrate per portion. The usual mistake is letting the broth boil after the aïoli goes in, which splits it like scrambled egg. Chef's tip: use pasteurised egg yolks, and stir the broth over a low heat until it coats a spoon and reaches about 72 °C.