Have you ever tried a Tarte Tatin? It is not a very popular dessert here, in North America, but back home, in France, it is one that everybody knows and loves! What is a Tarte Tatin you might ask? Well, it is an upside down apple tart! Delicious apples and caramel covered by a perfect sweet crust!
Do you want to know how to make it?
There are a few version of this upside down tart but mine is made with a simple caramel, apples cooked in butter and vanilla sugar and a sweet pie crust on top.
Where does the Tarte Tatin comes from?
There are a few legends.
The first one, the most popular, is that the Tatin sisters were making apple tart and forgot to put the crust first so they added it at the end.
The second most popular story is that an other Tatin lady made an apple tart and dropped it so she put it back together and served it upside down.
In fact, this delicious upside down apple tart is older than that and was in fact a traditional dessert where the Tatin sisters lived!
No matter where it comes from it is a great and delicious dessert that will please kids and adults alike.
Ingredients to make the upside down apple tart
Like for the Apple Pie, everybody has their own version of the Tarte Tatin! Some poach the apples in a vanilla syrup, others use raw apples. I like to cook my apples in butter and vanilla sugar!
The crust
- Butter
- Icing sugar
- Almond flour
- Egg
- Flour
- Salt
The caramel
- Sugar
- Water
The apple filling
- Apples
- Vanilla sugar
This recipe calls for vanilla sugar. If you don’t have some you can easily make some by adding the inside of a vanilla bean into the sugar. If you want to always have vanilla sugar on hand, pour some sugar in a jar and stick a vanilla bean inside. After a few weeks you will have vanilla infused sugar!
How to make the Tarte Tatin
The crust
In a large bowl, mix the soft butter, the egg, the icing sugar and the almond flour until smooth. Then add the flour. Mix together until you can make a ball. Refrigerate for one hour or until you are done making the rest of the recipe.
The caramel
In a small sauce pan, pour the sugar with 2 tbsp of water. Cook at medium until it boils and take a nice caramel colour, Do not stir! Otherwise it might crystallize and you will have to start again. Pour the hot caramel onto a round cake pan.
The apples
Peel and cut the apples into large chunks. I just cut mine in quarters but you can do whatever you want as long as the pieces are big.
In a pan, add the butter and cook at medium heat. Add the apples and sprinkle the vanilla sugar, Let it cook for a few minutes.
Remove the apples from the heat and let them cool down in the juice.
Make the Tarte Tatin
Get the crust from the refrigerator and roll it down 2,5 cm (1 inch) more that the size of you cake pan and 3mm (1/8 inch) thick. I like to put the circle back into the fridge after I am done until I am ready to use it!
Arrange the apples onto the cake pan on the caramel. Make sure all the apple chunks are really close to one another and add smaller pieces to cover the caramel completely.
Put the crust on top and fold the dough inside.
Bake for around 40 minutes at 350F (180C).
Remove from the oven and allow to cool down for half an hour. Turn it upside down on a presentation plate and voila!
Serve it warm with a little bit of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and enjoy!
Tarte Tatin
Ingredients
The Crust
- 250 g Flour
- 1 Egg
- 30 g Almond flour
- 80 g Icing Sugar
- 140 g Butter, Soft
- 1 pinch Salt
The Caramel
- 100 g Sugar
- 2 tbsp Water
The Apples
- 4 Apples
- 20 g Sugar
- 60 g Butter
Instructions
The Crust
- In a large bowl, mix the soft butter, the egg, the icing sugar and the almond flour until smooth.
- Then add the flour.
- Mix together until you can make a ball.
- Refrigerate for one hour or until you are done making the rest of the recipe.
The Caramel
- In a small sauce pan, pour the sugar with 2 tbsp of water.
- Cook at medium until it boils and take a nice caramel colour.
- Pour the hot caramel onto a round cake pan.
The Apples
- Peel and cut the apples into large chunks.
- In a pan, add the butter and cook at medium heat. Add the apples and sprinkle the vanilla sugar, Let it cook for a few minutes.
- Remove the apples from the heat and let them cool down in the juice.
Make the Tarte Tatin
- Get the crust from the refrigerator and roll it down 2,5 cm (1 inch) more that the size of you cake pan and 3mm (1/8 inch) thick.
- Arrange the apples onto the cake pan on the caramel. Make sure all the apple chunks are really close to one another and add smaller pieces to cover the caramel completely.
- Put the crust on top and fold the dough inside.
- Bake for around 40 minutes at 350F (180C).
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool down for half an hour.
- Turn it upside down on a presentation plate and voila!