Tarte Tatin - European Recipe

Tarte Tatin

🌍 European, Sologne, Loire Valley, France Difficulty: ●●●○○

Created by the sisters Tatin at their Sologne hotel in the 1880s — reputedly by mistake when apples were left too long in butter and sugar.

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg firm apples (Granny Smith or Braeburn), peeled, cored, quartered
• 150 g butter, cut into pieces
• 150 g superfine sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 sheet puff pastry (approx. 250 g), rolled to fit pan
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Preheating — Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. Step 2 — In a 28 cm ovenproof skillet or tarte tatin pan, melt butter over medium heat.
3. Adding — Add sugar; cook without stirring until deep amber caramel forms, about 10–12 minutes.
4. Adding — Add vanilla and salt; remove from heat.
5. Arranging — Arrange apple quarters tightly in caramel, cut side up, fitting closely together.
6. Step 6 — Return to medium heat; cook apples in caramel 10 minutes until beginning to soften.
7. Draping — Drape pastry over apples, tucking edges inside rim.
8. Baking — Bake 25–30 minutes until pastry is golden and crisp.
9. Removing — Remove from oven; cool 5 minutes, then carefully invert onto serving plate.
10. Serving — Serve warm with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.

Tags: firm apples, butter, superfine sugar, vanilla extract, sheet puff pastry · Source: Observatory Recipe Research Kitchen