Tarte Tatin

‘Tradition says that the Tarte Tatin was first created by accident at the Hotel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron, France in 1889. The hotel was run by two sisters, Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin. There are conflicting stories concerning the tart's origin, but the predominant one is that Stéphanie Tatin, who did most of the cooking, 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. After turning out the upside down tart, she was surprised to find how much the hotel guests appreciated the dessert. An alternative version of the tart's origin is offered on the official Tarte Tatin website, according to which Stéphanie baked a caramelised apple tart upside-down by mistake. Regardless she served her guests the unusual cake hot from the oven and a classic was born.’ Wikipedia

I was never an apple tart admirer, but ever since I’ve tried the ‘Tarte Tatin’ (upside down apple tart) at ‘Bellucci’ in Wafi, Dubai. I was determined to try it out at home. So I googled the recipe and found all sort of different ways to make that legendary French treat. I tried 3 recipes, till I came out with my slightly altered recipe. So here you go:

For the dough:
• Puff Pastry

For the filling:
• 5 Granny Smith apples
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar

Roll the puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface to just larger than the diameter of the tin. Poke some holes onto the dough using a fork. Place on a tray lightly dusted with flour and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Cut out a circle slightly larger than the tin and refrigerate until required.


Preheat oven to 190°C

Put the caster sugar in the tarte tatin mould or a saucepan and place over a medium heat until the sugar turns a dark caramel color. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter. Cool down for a few minutes. It's very important to drain off any excess butter. Pour the caramel mixture into a tart mould.

Peel the apples, and core them. Cut each apple crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Place the apple halves upright around the tin/mould, back to back rounded side to scooped-out side.. Press the apple halves tightly together so that there are no gaps even if this means you have to add a half or two.

Remove the dough circle from the refrigerator, and place it over the apples. Tuck the edges into the sides, being careful not to touch the hot sugar. Place the tart mould in the oven, and bake until the crust is golden, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven, and place it over a hot stove till the caramel/apple syrup reduces to half, then allow to sit for 10 minutes. Place a serving platter over the top of the tart mould, and invert the tarte tatin onto the platter.

Bon Appétit! ;-)