The Best Classic French Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe | The Pure Taste (2024)

Posted by Maria | Nov 2, 2017 | Desserts Recipes, | 4 |

This Classic French Apple Tarte Tatin recipe is a pure pleasure to enjoy during apple season. Despite the scary name it is very easy to make, requires only one pan, simple ingredients and a tiny portion of your day. Enjoy this golden caramelized treat with the fragrant vanilla bean ice cream.

The Best Classic French Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe | The Pure Taste (1)

I made many apple tarte tatins before and was happy with the results. Until I discovered a new completely different Classic French Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe. Without the doubt, it became my favorite apple dessert.

I discovered this recipe in a new book of Mimi Thorisson “French Country Cooking.” This is her second book about French cooking. The most calming, charming and elegant cookbook I’ve ever owned. Fast enough it became one of my favorite cookbook in my collection.

I made many recipes from it from easy to more time consuming, and so far loved almost all. There is one recipe that I’m very grateful for and so glad Mimi included it is Apple Tarte Tatin. Thank you, Mimi, so much for sharing this special recipe.

The Best Classic French Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe | The Pure Taste (2)

The Best Classic French Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe | The Pure Taste (3)

Despite the fancy French name, this is a very easy dessert to make. By bad luck, this is one of the desserts full of myths on how hard and scary it is to make. It is nothing more than caramelized apples and tart crust. The “hardest” part of this recipe is the tart dough. And even this part you can skip by buying store-bought puff pastry or pie dough. Yet, I encourage you to make a homemade tart dough because it makes a significant difference in taste. Also much cheaper to make your own rather than buy.

For some reason, the tart dough recipe from this book didn’t work out for me, and I changed it to my favorite one. Maybe the quality of ingredients is different. Or maybe I’ve done countless tarts and figured out my best tart dough recipe and use it ever since.

The Best Classic French Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe | The Pure Taste (4)

The Best Classic French Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe | The Pure Taste (5)

Use only the best seasonal apples for this classic french apple tarte tatin recipe. I always favored the Golden Delicious apples for Tarte Tatin. They give an extra depth of taste and magnificent smell to it.

Mimi’s method is to caramelize apples along with butter and vanilla bean in one pan. This method eliminates making the dry caramel, which is harder and time-consuming process. You simply arrange all ingredients in a skillet and let bubbling and sizzling do the magic. Meanwhile, let the aroma of apples caramelized in browned butter fill your home.

The Best Classic French Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe | The Pure Taste (6)

Only a month ago I discovered this recipe and already made it three times. With all the confidence I can tell you this is a foolproof Apple Tarte Tatin recipe. It is easy to make and requires only ONE skillet. Your tiny effort will be rewarded with a delightful classic French dessert.

I encourage you to conquer this classic french apple tarte tatin recipe. Make it once, and you will crave for more every time you finish it.

The Best Classic French Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe | The Pure Taste (7)

Tips and Tricks for Classic French Apple Tarte Tatin recipe:

  • A straight-sided stainless steel skillet is the best option.
  • For my 8.5-inch stainless steel skillet, I used 9 medium Golden Delicious apples.
  • Use only the highest quality unsalted butter. It makes a huge difference in taste, smell and color of your apple tarte tatin.
  • I find Golden Delicious to be the best option for the Apple Tarte Tatin recipes. However, Jonagold, Honey Crisp, Cameo, and Cortland are good options as well.
  • I included both instructions on how to make the tart dough (shortcrust pastry) by hand and in a food processor. For a deeper look watch this 2 useful videos on How To Make Sweet Shortcrust Pastry by Jamie Oliver and Pie Crust Tutorial: Food Processor Method.
  • Serve this deep golden brown Tarte Tatin as it is. Or my favorite way with the whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream.

Maria

Yields: 8-9 inch tart

Classic French Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe

30 minPrep Time

1 hrCook Time

1 hr, 30 Total Time

The Best Classic French Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe | The Pure Taste (8)Save Recipe

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

    For the tart dough:

  • 1 ½ cups (200 gr.) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup (50 gr.) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick, 113 gr.) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 1 large egg, lightly whisked
  • For the apples:

  • ½ cup (100 gr.) granulated sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seed scraped and reserved
  • 6 ½ tbsp. (90 gr.) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces + more for greasing
  • About 2 pounds (8-10 medium sized) apples (preferable golden delicious), peeled, cored, and quartered
  • For serving:

  • Whipped cream
  • Vanilla ice cream

Instructions:

To make the tart dough (shortcrust pastry) by hand:

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, and salt. Using your hands mix the cold butter into flour mixture until you see small pea-sized chunks. Add an egg and mix by hand until the dough comes together and looks smooth. Shape the dough into a disc. Wrap tightly in a plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

To make tart dough (shortcrust pastry) in a food processor:

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse couple of time to aerate the mixture. Add cold cubed butter. Pulse a couple of times until you see coarse pea-sized crumbs. Add an egg and pulse until everything just comes together. Invert the dough onto the surface. Knead the dough until it is smooth. Shape into a flat disc. Wrap tightly in a plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

To make caramelized apples:

Butter the 8.5 inches straight sided ovenproof pan generously. In a medium bowl mix sugar and vanilla bean seeds. Distribute sugar mixture evenly in the pan. Divide the butter on top of the sugar. Arrange apple slices with one cut side down in a circle motion pressing down the slices slightly.

On the stovetop heat the pan over the medium-high heat. Cook apples until you see bubbles. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until the liquid turns beautiful golden brown (caramel) color, about 10 minutes. Immediately remove from heat.

To make apple tarte tatin:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Generously flour the surface. Hit the dough couple of times with the rolling pin in different directions. This keeps the dough from cracking. Roll out the dough. With the sharp knife cut the circle slightly bigger in diameter than the pan. Arrange the dough over the caramelized apples. !Carefully tuck the edges of the dough between the apples and the pan on all sides.

Bake tatin in the oven until the dough turns golden brown color, about 45-50 minutes.

Remove from oven and let it cool slightly about 5 minutes.

Prepare the large plate or cake stand you wish to serve apple tarte Tatin. Place the plate on top of the pan. Using oven mitts flip the pan.

Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or ice cream.

Enjoy 😉


Adapted from French Country Cooking

Notes:

Please note, the total time does not include dough resting time, which is at least 2 hours.

Nutrition

Calories

3869 cal

Fat

215 g

Carbs

475 g

Protein

31 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

The Best Classic French Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe | The Pure Taste (9)

7.8.1.2

26

https://thepuretaste.com/classic-french-apple-tarte-tatin-recipe/

Maria | The Pure Taste

Disclosure:This post contains some affiliate links.If you purchase a product through one of my links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I use and love myself. Thank you in advance for your support! It means a lot!

Products used in this post:

The Best Classic French Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe | The Pure Taste (10)

French Country Cooking

The Best Classic French Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe | The Pure Taste (11)

Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor

The Best Classic French Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe | The Pure Taste (2024)

FAQs

What fruit is traditionally used in Tarte Tatin? ›

The tarte Tatin (French pronunciation: [taʁt tatɛ̃]), named after the Tatin sisters who invented it and served it in their hotel as its signature dish, is a pastry in which the fruit (usually apples) is caramelized in butter and sugar before the tart is baked.

What is unusual about Tarte Tatin? ›

Named after the woman who invented it, the Tarte Tatin (tart tah-TAN) is a famous French "upside-down" caramelized apple tart or Tarte aux pommes (caramélisé). Basically, the apples are underneath the dough – topsy-turvy indeed.

How do you keep Tarte Tatin from getting soggy? ›

"Sometimes, I like to flash it back in the oven for a minute or use a blowtorch to take the pan off. I find either of these methods helps the tarte keep its shape, and the cooling rack helps keep the tatin from getting soggy."

What is the English name for a Tarte Tatin? ›

French-Style Apple Tart (Tarte Tatin)

What is the best pan for tarte tatin? ›

The Silverwood Bakeware Tarte Tatin Pan is perfect for avid bakers. Resilient and heavy-duty, it will not warp, rust or peel. The alloy core spreads heat fast and evenly, producing perfect baking in a reduced time.

What are the best apples for apple tarts? ›

The results are way more delicate and not as sweet as a shortbread shell, but provides the perfect base for our apples. The best apples for an apple tart: We're partial to Granny Smith, Honeycrip, and Gala, but you can really use any baking apple that you prefer in this recipe!

Why is tarte tatin so good? ›

Tarte Tatin is an oozy caramelized dessert with melt-in-your-mouth apples and a semi-flaky crust. When I know it's coming, I wish it were the only course of the meal. It really is that good.

What does Tatin mean in French? ›

adjective. caramelized and baked in the manner of an upside-down cake. an apple tart Tatin. Word origin. [‹ F (tarte) tatin, à la Tatin, des desmoiselles Tatin; said to be after two (or more) Tatin sisters, who developed the recipe]

Does a tarte tatin need to be served immediately? ›

GET AHEAD. For best results, cook a day or two ahead and keep in its pan or dish in the fridge, then reheat in the oven for 20 mins at 150C/130C fan/gas 2 an hour before serving.

Should tarte Tatin be served hot or cold? ›

Return to the oven for a further 40-45 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and golden-brown. Allow to cool at room temperature for one hour before turning out of the tin and serving warm. Alternatively, make the tarte the day before and reheat as above.

When to flip a tarte Tatin? ›

Bake for about 30 minutes until the pastry is golden, then remove from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then place a plate, slightly larger than the pan, on top and then, very carefully, using oven gloves, invert the tart on to the plate. Best served warm, with crème fraîche.

How do you know when tarte Tatin is done? ›

When the pastry is nicely browned and crisp, it's done. This means that if the sautéed apples aren't mostly cooked, that they're still crunchy inside, it needs more time on the stove before it goes in the oven or the baked tatin won't have perfectly tender apples.

Can tarte tatin be made in advance? ›

You can cook the tart a day in advance, keep it in the mould and reheat it at 150°C for 20 minutes.

What can I use instead of a tarte tatin tin? ›

You could use a cast iron ovenproof pan but as these are sturdier in construction than a tart tatin pan it will need to be preheated in the oven for slightly longer than the thin metal pan. We would suggest giving it 10-15 minutes in the oven before using.

What country is tarte tatin from? ›

Tarte Tatin is one of the most famous French desserts. At the end of the 19th century, there was a restaurant in Sologne, central France, which was run by two sisters: Caroline and Stephanie Tatin. Caroline worked in the dining room and customer reception while Stephanie worked in the kitchen.

What is tarte tatin made of? ›

What is Tarte Tatin? Tarte Tatin is a French dessert for which apples are caramelized in a skillet with butter and sugar, then topped with a round of pastry dough and baked.

What is the origin of tarte tatin? ›

Legend has it that the tart appeared at the end of the 19th century. Two sisters ran a hotel and restaurant in Lamotte-Beuvron, Caroline Tatin, who took care of the reception while Stéphanie Tatin, did the cooking. Her specialty was apple pie, served at the same caramelized and meltingly soft.

What is the origin of the fruit tart? ›

According to legend, the tart was invented by the unmarried French sisters who ran the hotel in the 1880s, so in France, the actual name of the tart is "Tarte des Demoiselles Tatin" (the tart of two unmarried women named Tatin.)

What is the name of tart apples? ›

Granny Smith, McIntosh, and Pink Lady fall on the tart end of the spectrum. While tart apples can be great for snacking, they're often ideal for baking and can handle a lot of added sweetness. Other types, like Braeburn and Golden Delicious apples, fall somewhere in the middle.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Rubie Ullrich

Last Updated:

Views: 5538

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (52 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Rubie Ullrich

Birthday: 1998-02-02

Address: 743 Stoltenberg Center, Genovevaville, NJ 59925-3119

Phone: +2202978377583

Job: Administration Engineer

Hobby: Surfing, Sailing, Listening to music, Web surfing, Kitesurfing, Geocaching, Backpacking

Introduction: My name is Rubie Ullrich, I am a enthusiastic, perfect, tender, vivacious, talented, famous, delightful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.