How to Make a Classic Tarte Tatin Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn

Peel the apples, slice them into quarters, and remove the core. Roll out the pie crust to a little larger than 10 inches on a piece of wax paper and keep chilled in the refrigerator while you cook the apples.

51bce71bd9127e24f200166d._s.centercrop_h.72_w.72_

51bce71ddbd0cb1fd1001544._s.centercrop_h.72_w.72_

51bce71fdbd0cb1f59001108._s.centercrop_h.72_w.72_

51bce721d9127e259900159f._s.centercrop_h.72_w.72_

51bce722dbd0cb1f840016f8._s.centercrop_h.72_w.72_

51bce724d9127e26300015a2._s.centercrop_h.72_w.72_

51bce725dbd0cb1e9b001317._s.centercrop_h.72_w.72_

51bce726d9127e255f0015fa._s.centercrop_h.72_w.72_

51bce728dbd0cb1ed6001097._s.centercrop_h.72_w.72_

51bce729d9127e25b3001398._s.centercrop_h.72_w.72_

Here's what makes a tarte tatin so fabulous: even if your crust isn't perfect, even if it crumbles a bit when you flip it (as my buttery crust has done this time), and even if the tarte is not perfectly centered on your serving platter, it will still taste like something that came directly from heaven. Creamy-soft apples in a deeply caramelized sauce will cover a multitude of other culinary imperfections. Tell your guests that it's meant to be "rustic" as you pass out the forks and carry on with the devouring.

Plain old Granny Smith apples are perfect for making a tarte tatin. They hold up well in the rather rigorous caramelization and baking process, and their tartness translates into very pure apple flavor when pitted against the rich caramel.

This said, you should feel free to experiment with other apple varieties or a mix of varieties. Anything that holds up well for baking will work well. Cutting the apples in quarters also helps them to hold their shape without turning into apple sauce.

Don't be intimidated by the flip. In many ways, that's the least stressful part of making a tarte tatin! Be sure to run a knife around the edge of the crust and then get a firm grip on the plate-and-skillet sandwich before flipping. The tarte is still warm at this point, so it's easy to nudge any apples back into place that fall out of line or stick to the pan.

And yes, a tarte tatin will taste incredible no matter what happens during that flip. It's a sure thing. Have some ice cream or tangy crème fraîche on hand for spooning over the top, and this is a total win.

How to Make a Classic Tarte Tatin

Serves 8 to 12

What You Need

Ingredients
6 Granny Smith apples, or other hard, tart apple
1 9-inch pie crust dough
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
Ice cream or crème fraîche, optional for serving

Equipment
Vegetable peeler
10-inch ovensafe skillet, cast iron or stainless steel preferred
Pie plate

Instructions

→ Heat the oven to 375°F.

1. Peel and core the apples. Peel the apples, slice them into quarters, and remove the core. Roll out the pie crust to a little larger than 10 inches on a piece of wax paper and keep chilled in the refrigerator while you cook the apples.

2. Start the caramel sauce. Melt the better in the skillet over medium to medium-high heat, then stir in the sugar. It will be grainy and clumpy at first, then start to dissolve into a syrupy liquid.

3. Add the apples to the sauce. When the sugar and butter are bubbling, add the apples and sprinkle with salt. No need to be fancy with how you arrange the apples now.

4. Cook the apples until caramelized. Cook the apples, stirring every few minutes, until the sauce darkens to a deep amber caramel color. This should take 12 to 15 minutes. Be sure to turn the apples as you stir them so they are coated with the caramel sauce. A good indication of when the caramel sauce is done is if a drip holds its shape on a cool plate.

5. Top with the pie crust. Remove the pan of apples from the heat. With a fork and a spatula, turn the apples so their rounded surfaces are agains the bottom of the pan and arrange them in concentric circles. Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and drape it over the hot apples. Be careful not to touch the hot caramel sauce! Tuck the edges of the pie crust into the pan and prick with a fork.

6. Bake the tarte tatin. Bake the tarte tatin for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

7. Cool the tarte tatin briefly. Set the tarte tatin on a cooling rack and cool for 10-20 minutes.

8. Invert the tarte tatin. Run a knife around the edge of the pie crust to separate it from the pan. Shake the skillet a few times to loosen the apples in the caramel sauce. Place the pie plate over the top of the skillet. Using oven mitts, grip the plate and the skillet and swiftly turn them both over so the pie plate is on the bottom and the skillet is on top.

9. Remove the skillet and make presentable. Gently lift the skillet away and re-arrange any stubborn apples that have gotten jostled out of place. Scrape any remaining caramel sauce from the pan and drizzle over the tarte tatin.

10. Serve warm with ice cream or crème fraîche. Serve the tarte tatin while it's still warm, topped with ice cream or a dollop of crème fraîche. Leftover tarte can be kept refrigerated for several days (and make an excellent breakfast).

Additional Notes:

• Tarte Tatins with Other Fruits: Fruits of a similar hardness (quince, asian pear) can be cooked like apples. Softer fruits (apricots, pears, peaches) should be added to the skillet at the end of cooking the sauce, once the sauce has cooked to a dark amber color.

• Salted Caramel Tarte Tatin: Add an extra half teaspoon of salt to the caramel as it cooks, then sprinkle the top of the finished tarte with crunchy sea salt.

Want more smart tutorials for getting things done around the home?
See more How To posts
We're looking for great examples of your own household intelligence too!
Submit your own tutorials or ideas here!

(Images: Emma Christensen)

Comments (17)

I've made this from the Boucon/TFL cookbook about three times and each time I have issues with it sticking to the pan and it becomes a mess. Very frustrating :(

I've been using Honey Crisp apples instead of Granny Smith apples that to my mind are much better for the Tatin. I also use a splash of Calvados over the apples and that's a classic.

Half a split vanilla pod in the caramel is a decadently delicious addition. I find Cox apples work best - small enough to just halve, and they hold their shape well. I've tried cooking varieties such as Bramley, and they just turn to purée.

A light sprinkle of sugar over the pie crust just before it's baked is nice, too.

I find that using a silicon pan for baking the tarte works well

silicone*

Hmmm. I have used Ina Garten's Tarte Tatin recipe - I think if you search "ina garten plum tart" you can find it - multiple times with no problems whatsoever. It's more cake-y than pie-y, but really delicious.

Every tarte tatin I've made always has puff pastry for the pastry element, never pie crust. To be honest, this is the first time I've seen it done wit a pie crust.
Maybe that's why people have sticking trouble? It's incredibly simple- just cut a circle of puff pastry (homemade or store bought) to fit the pan and sit it on top the cooked apples. No pressing or fussing. Done!

First time I made it I have not so fond memories of forgetting my frying pan was a billion degrees from the oven when going to flip it and grabbing the handle bare handed! Yikes!

Also in Germany tarte tartin always made with puff pastry. To buy puff pastry is easier than make a shortcrust. And it´s better to use apples with flavour. Granny Smith doesn´t have any flavour. Take a jonared, jonagold or royal gala.

Here ist the site of the sisters tartin, invented the tarte: http://www.lamotte-beuvron.fr/article.php3?id_article=12

The dough recipe in this article is correct. TheTatin sisters used Pate Brisée which is Pie Crust. Theirs was enriched with an egg. the dough is barely worked and does not rise.
Puff Pastry if overworked (not a negative) and rises from the trapped steam between the layers of dough and butter.
The results and taste are very different.
I use pie crust and I've done Tart Tatin with pear and it's equally delicious.
The tendency some have to add ice-cream or whipped cream is overkill. However, like Lima suggests, Calvados is great but I prefer serving it as a digestive with the tart.

I use a cast iron skillet when I make it and it comes off easy. Also have used a filo dough crust instead of a pastry crust and it came out wonderfully.

The new ceramic coated pans are so non-stick it borders on a miracle.

I made a persimmon tarte tatin last week but added a little cognac, and used coconut oil instead of butter. I wasn't ready to part with my cast iron skillet while cooking dinner, so just transferred the caramelized fruit into a round cast iron baking dish, and put the phyllo dough on top. trust me when I say the fruit didn't need to be laid out in beautiful symmetry to get gobbled up by my guests.

The best tarte tatin I have ever eaten was one that Susan Herrmann Loomis (cook book author, cooking school proprietor) made on 1 Tatin street in France. She runs a French cooking school in her 15th century home in Normandy. If you want to learn how to make the most delicious tarte tatin while visiting France, I highly recommend her cooking classes!
http://www.onruetatin.com/

I usually make my Tarte Tatin with bought puff pastry (make sure it's made with butter, though, not margarine or it will have that horrible industrial greasy taste). I think that the pâte sucrée used for other fruit tarts might be too crumbly and delicate to withstand the flip.

Fantastic! The other recipes I've seen require me to go out and buy a new cooking dish or cast iron skillet, and they are just too heavy for me. I can use my dear old stainless steel pan! I don't want to make heavy investments for every new recipe, the food costs enough. Thanks to Emma at The Kitchn x