If you are looking for an amazing, easy, and scrumptious dessert, Tarte tatin is the way to go. It goes great with cream, ice cream, and many other accompaniments, but is also delicious on its own! It is such an effortless dessert, yet you can find it in very high end, top notch restaurants. The method is so effortless, and with only 40 minutes, you can get a fantastic dessert, with so many levels of flavour, making for an incredibly kohesive dish.
The way I make my Tarte Tatin is in my opinion one of the best ways. I use a cast iron pan to first cook the apples. I do this because of how hot the cast iron pan can get. It will slightly cook the apples, but it doesn't have to stay on long, because of the intense heat. The apples get cooked, but don't get mushy. And the sugar browns and caramelizes beautifully, giving for a sweet, and nutty flavour.
It is a famous French dish that was most commonly believed to have been made accidentally. The most believed story is that Stephanie Tatin, one of the 2 Tatin sisters who ran a hotel was cooking for the guests. She was very overworked that day, and overcooked the sugar and apples. She tried to rescue the dish and put pastry over it.
She finished cooking it by putting it in the oven. When she took it out she flipped it over. We think she was trying to make a pie, but was surprised when all the hotel guests appreciated the variation of the dish. From a regular apple pie, to a delectable tart, with caramelized and nutty notes, with a gooey, soft texture.
Ingredients
Tarte Tatin Recipe | Serves 6-8
½ stick of butter ( 4 tbsp )
3 medium sized gala (sweet) apples
¾ cup sugar
Puff Pastry (2 pieces)
Ice cream (optional)
Steps
Preheat your oven to 400o F.
While the oven is heating up, melt the ½ stick of butter in the cast iron pan and make sure it coats the bottom of the pan. Once it’s melted, turn the heat off.
Pour the sugar in an even coat onto the butter in the cast iron pan. Make sure it coats the bottom of the pan with a light coat, usually should take about ½ to ¾ cup of sugar.
Now, place the apples onto the sugar, in a circle, laying each one on top of the next. Create one outer circle, one inner circle, and one right at the center so the whole pan is covered in apples. See picture below.
Cook on medium heat until the apples are cooked and soft, and the sugar has completely caramelized. Turn off the heat.
Form the pieces of puff pastry into a circle, and place onto the apples. Make sure it covers as much of the apples as possible, and tuck in any excess into the sides of the pan.
Place the tart tatin in the 400o oven for about 20 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked. When it is finished, remove it from the oven, and place a plate/serving dish over the cast iron pan. Flip the pan over so to flip the tart over into the serving dish.
Slice and serve with ice cream or cold fresh cream.
