About This Recipe
The Tarte Tatin was famously created by accident at the Hôtel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron in the 1880s, and it has been a cornerstone of French baking ever since. The magic lies in the caramel: the apples cook directly in butter and sugar in the pan, absorbing the caramel as they soften, before being covered with pastry and baked. When inverted, the result is a glistening, jewel-like tart that is one of the most satisfying things you can pull from an oven.
Method
- 1
Prepare the apples
Peel, core, and quarter the apples. If using a large apple like Bramley, cut into sixths. Pat dry with kitchen paper — excess moisture is the enemy of good caramel.
- 2
Make the caramel
In a 24–26cm oven-safe frying pan or cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until a deep amber caramel forms, about 8–10 minutes. Add vanilla and salt.
- 3
Arrange the apples
Remove pan from heat. Arrange apple quarters tightly in the caramel, standing them on their edges in concentric circles. They will shrink during cooking, so pack them in as tightly as possible. Return to medium heat and cook for 20–25 minutes, occasionally pressing the apples down, until they are tender and the caramel is very thick and dark.
- 4
Preheat oven
Preheat oven to 200°C (fan 180°C).
- 5
Add the pastry
Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to a circle slightly larger than your pan (about 28cm). Lay the pastry over the apples, tucking the edges down around the apples inside the pan. Prick the pastry all over with a fork.
- 6
Bake
Bake for 25–30 minutes until the pastry is deep golden and crisp. Remove from oven and leave to cool in the pan for exactly 10 minutes — no longer, or the caramel will set and the tart will stick.
- 7
Invert
Place a large plate or board over the pan. In one confident, swift motion, flip the tart onto the plate. If any apples have shifted, rearrange them with a spoon while the caramel is still warm.
- 8
Serve
Whisk crème fraîche with icing sugar until slightly thickened. Serve the tart warm with a generous spoonful of crème fraîche alongside.
Chef's Tips from Chef Isabelle Moreau
Use firm apples that hold their shape — soft varieties like Golden Delicious will turn to mush.
The 10-minute rest before inverting is critical: too short and the caramel is runny; too long and it sets solid.
If your caramel looks very dark before the apples are tender, add 2 tbsp water and continue cooking.
The tart can be rewarmed in a 160°C oven for 10 minutes if made ahead.
Ingredients
Serves 8
- —1.2kg firm apples (Cox, Braeburn, or Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and quartered
- —150g caster sugar
- —80g unsalted butter, cubed
- —1 tsp vanilla extract
- —Pinch of fine salt
- —320g all-butter puff pastry (shop-bought is fine)
- —Flour for dusting
- —200ml crème fraîche to serve
- —1 tsp icing sugar (for crème fraîche)
Per Serving
Calories
390 kcal
Protein
3g
Fat
20g
Carbohydrates
52g
Fibre
3g
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