Classic French Recipes | Tarte Tatin

One of the most famous of all French recipes and a perfect autumnal dessert, the Tarte Tatin is an upside-down apple pie named after Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin, two sisters who ran a hotel in the Loir-et-Cher.

It is believed that the recipe was completely created by accident. One story goes that Stéphanie Tatin, who did most of the cooking at the hotel, was overworked one day. She started to make a traditional apple pie but left the apples cooking in butter and sugar for too long. Smelling the burning, she tried to rescue the dish by putting the pastry base on top of the pan of apples, quickly finishing the cooking by putting the whole pan in the oven. She then turned the dish upside down, much to her guests’ approval!


How to make Tarte Tatin

Ingredients:

6oz plain flour
3½ oz unsalted butter
1 pinch of salt
1 egg yolk, beaten
Ice-cold water
8 dessert apples
3oz unsalted butter
4oz caster sugar

1. Prepare the pastry.

In a large bowl, rub together the flour and butter to form coarse crumbs. Sprinkle in the salt and make a well in the middle. Tip in the beaten egg plus a spoonful of water and, using the tips of your fingers, start to work the liquid into the flour. Add more water, bit by bit, until the pastry dough is just coming together. Then gather it into a round, wrap in clingfilm, and put into the fridge for at least half an hour. Preheat the oven to 190° C.

2. Prepare the apples.

Peel, core and slice them, then toss with a little lemon juice. Put the butter into a wide frying pan and sprinkle the sugar over evenly. Now arrange the apples neatly in circles on top. Return to the heat and set to high until the butter and sugar start to caramelise on the bottom of the pan – this will take 5 minutes or more. When the apples are starting to get quite dark, take the pan off the heat.

3. Roll out the pastry to cover the apples and lift it onto your rolling pin, then transfer it to the pan, carefully laying it over the apples and tucking in the edges (watch your fingers).

4. Put the pan directly into the oven and bake for another 20-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Cool for a while before serving.

Bonne appetit!

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Author: K.Barrau
Posted: 12/10/2010