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Apple Tart Tatin has apples caramelized in butter and sugar, topped with a puff pastry crust, then baked until tender. The tart is served “upside down” to show off the gorgeous glistening baked fruit.
What is Tart Tatin?
It’s a famous French dessert named after Caroline and Stéphanie Tatin – sisters who ran Hôtel Tatin, a hotel and restaurant across from a train station in the village of Lamotte-Beuvron, located about a hundred miles south of Paris.
The story goes that Stéphanie accidentally created Tart Tatin (pronounced ‘tart ta-TAN’) while making an apple tart, when she accidentally put the apples in the tart pan before the pastry crust. Not wanting to waste food, she flipped the baked tart onto a platter – and the glistening Apple Tart Tatin was an instant hit!
An Easy and Elegant Dessert
Apple Tart Tatin is elegant – and surprisingly easy to make with just four key ingredients! Apples are nestled in a skillet along with a simple caramel sauce made with salted butter and sugar.
The apples and sauce are partially baked – then topped with puff pastry and baked again until the pastry is golden brown, and the apples are tender. Carefully invert the tart onto a platter before serving in wedges with scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Why you’ll love Apple Tart Tatin
- It’s a simply heavenly dessert with sweet apples in a butter caramel sauce.
- Your dinner guests will be so impressed when serving this tart – but you don’t have to tell them how easy it is to make.
- This is a perfect Fall dessert to make with freshly-picked apples from the orchard.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Granulated Sugar – The sugar is combined with butter to create the simple caramel sauce.
- Butter – Choose salted butter for this recipe. That touch of salt in the butter complements the overall sweetness of this recipe and it enhances the flavor of the caramel sauce.
- Apples – Choose baking apples that hold their shape even after they are cooked such as Braeburn, Honey Crisp, or Granny Smith. We used Honey Crisp apples in the photos you see in this post.
- Puff Pastry – While you can certainly make your own, keep things easy and buy a box of frozen puff pastry. (You’ll thaw it to room temperature before using in this recipe.)
- Vanilla Ice Cream – For serving. Unsweetened whipped cream is another good option for serving, as well as our Vanilla Custard Sauce.
Special Tools Needed
- 12” Oven-Proof Skillet – Ours was non-stick.
- Various Measuring Cups
- Cutting Board and Sharp Knife
- Vegetable Peeler
- Paring knife
- Fork
- Serving Platter – Larger in diameter than the skillet
- Metal Spoon or Silicone Spatula
- Oven Mitts – To handle the skillet while inverting the pan.
PRODUCT RECOMMENDATION
A non-stick, oven-safe pan with two side handles makes for easy flipping while the tart is still hot.
How do I make Apple Tart Tatin?
- Melt the sugar in the skillet over a very low heat until liquid. (Be patient – Just let it heat and melt until golden and caramelized without stirring.)
- Stir butter into the caramelized sugar, then set aside.
- Peel and quarter apples then cut out the core in each piece.
- Place apple quarters cut down into caramel. (Be careful – avoid touching the hot caramel sauce with your fingers.)
- Bake the apples and sauce partially – about twenty minutes.
- Cover the top of the skillet with a 12-inch round puff pastry circle that has been pricked with a fork.
- Bake again until the pastry is golden and the apples are tender.
- Invert onto a serving platter.
- Cut into wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream.
Tips & Tricks
- It’s very important to get the caramel sauce just right so don’t rush it. The sugar will start to liquify after approximately 10 to 15 minutes over a low heat, and it will fully melt and caramelize after a total of 20 to 25 minutes. You can occasionally shake the skillet a little, but don’t be tempted to stir it with a spoon or spatula. Also make sure you don’t over-caramelize or burn the sugar – it will caramelize more while the tart bakes in the oven so keep to the timing listed above. After the sugar is fully melted, simply add the butter, let it melt in the hot sugar, then stir it into the sauce with a clean spoon or silicone spatula. Remove from heat to avoid over cooking.
- Select the right apple variety. Choose a nice firm baking apple such as Braeburn, Honey Crisp, or Granny Smith – these all keep their shape even when cooked to a tender state. Note that some of these apples will give off more juices as they cook than others – but don’t worry. The extra liquid forms a sweet syrup that you can spoon over each portion.
- Keep it simple! This recipe is simply delicious as is, so there is no need to complicate things. Avoid the temptation to add things like cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. It really isn’t necessary. Also, be sure to use granulated sugar and not brown sugar – the molasses added to the brown sugar will darken the caramel and change the flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Tarte Tatin ahead of time? This certainly can be made in advance and served cold or at room temperature – but warm out of the oven, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top is really the best option.
- How do I store leftovers? Cover the platter with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to four days. Note that the puff pastry crust will begin to absorb liquid over time and get soggy, but it will still be delicious.
- How do I reheat leftovers? You could reheat individual portions for a few seconds in the microwave, then serve warm with ice cream.
- Can I freeze it? We don’t recommend it.
You might like these other Apple Recipes:
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Apple Tart Tatin
Apple Tart Tatin has apples caramelized in butter and sugar, topped with a puff pastry crust, then baked until tender. The tart is served “upside down” to show off the gorgeous glistening baked fruit.
Ingredients
3/4 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons butter
5–6 baking apples (depending on the size of the apple, you may use more or less)
1 box puff pastry sheets (17.3 ounce box)
Vanilla Ice Cream, for serving if desired
Instructions
- In a 12” oven-proof skillet, add sugar across bottom of the pan and turn burner to just slightly warmer than low.
- Keep the burner at this low temperature for 20-25 minutes and DO NOT stir the sugar. You do not want to rush this process.
- You will see a few spots starting to liquefy and turn color at about the 10–15-minute mark. Again, do not stir but simply shake the pan a little to move some of the granulated sugar around.
- Keep giving the pan a little shake every few minutes until there is no sign of white sugar left and the liquid is a light golden color. The entire process should take around 20-25 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Once the sugar has caramelized, add the butter, and stir with a metal spoon or a silicone spatula. Do not use a wooden spoon. Remove from heat.
- Peel the apples and cut into quarters. Place each quarter on their sides and slice off the core.
- Place apple quarters into the warm caramel, cut side down. Arrange in a decorative pattern.
- Place the pan into the oven and bake for 20 minutes uncovered.
- While baking, unfold the two sheets of puff pastry. Leave one intact and cut the other into three strips following the folds. Run one strip on the right side and pinch the edges together with a tiny dab of water. Then run the other two across the top, again sticking with a little dab of water. Cut the top right end off to make the 12” square.
- Use a paring knife, cut a 12” circle from the 12” square dough. I marked a point in the center and used a 6” string to mark the outer edges, then cut excess with the knife. Prick this dough all over with a fork. Remove and discard excess puff pastry scraps.
- Lift the dough up and place it over the partially cooked apples, tucking in the outer edges.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the top is puffy and golden and the apples tender. You can use the tip of a paring knife, or the end of a probe thermometer to pierce the tart to test for doneness.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for five minutes.
- Place a round platter, which is larger than the pan, over the top and quickly invert onto the platter so that the cooked apples now face up. Depending on the apple variety, you may have some liquid on top. This is fine though; it will create a nice, sweet syrup to serve with portions.
- Cut into ten wedge shaped pieces and serve with vanilla ice cream. Drizzle a little of the syrup over portions.
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Notes
Nutritional information below does not include the optional vanilla ice cream shown served with the Apple Tart Tatin.
Want to make this tonight but very cofused about cutting and placement of the puff pastry. i thought you just place one sheet across the apples? Thanks for your help, feel foolish for asking.
Not a foolish question at all Lisa! The puffed pastry we bought comes as 2 rectangles in each box – one rectangle won’t be large enough to cover a 12-inch pan. So we have you piece together the two rectangles to make a square. Having said that, if your puff pastry IS large enough to full cover the pan, then yes, you only need to use one. Hope that makes more sense!