Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin
“Apples shrink when they cook,” writes cookbook author and award-winning blogger Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen, which is why she recommends using two different size pans to complete this classic French treat. Many tarte tatin recipes call for the home baker to use the same small pan for the stovetop and the oven. Since most of the cooking is done on the stovetop, it’s important to sufficiently cook the apples before popping them into the oven. “You want a larger pan (I recommend the braiser here) for the stovetop component, in which you make the caramel and evenly cook the apples, than you do for the baking component, at which point the apples have shrunk and can be cobblestoned together tightly for the final tart.”
Ingredients
- 7 to 8 medium-large Pink Lady, Gala, or Fuji apples (3 to 3 1/2 lb./1.3 to 1.5 kg), peeled
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) (2 oz./55 g) very cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 3/4 cup (6 oz./150 g) sugar
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
- Crème fraîche or unsweetened softly whipped cream for serving
Directions
Preheat an oven to 400°F (200°C).
Cut the apples in thirds off of the core as best you can (no need for perfectly even thirds) and cut or scoop any remaining seeds out. In a large bowl, toss together the apples and lemon juice. Have the butter very cold and ready by the stove. Trust me.
In a 4-quart (4 l) braiser over medium-high heat, add the sugar and cook, without stirring, until the sugar is partially liquefied, about 4 minutes. Whisk until all the unmelted sugar disappears into the caramel and nudge the heat down to medium-low. Cook until the sugar is dark amber, 1 to 2 minutes (an instant read thermometer should read 350 to 370°F (180 to 187°C), but see Note below). Remove from heat, immediately add the butter and whisk to melt and combine. This will hold the color where it is.
Return the braiser to medium-high heat and add the apples. The caramel will seize up a bit and will seem too thick to coat the apples, but it will loosen up in a minute. Cook, gently stirring and turning to ensure even cooking, until the apples soften and begin to turn translucent at the edges and are about three-fourths of the way cooked through, about 10 minutes. This is not an exact science; larger or denser apples may take longer. On the flipside, if your apples are falling into mush here, they’re the wrong apples; it will not get better in the oven. Don’t worry about overcooking the caramel once the apples are in; this has never happened to me.
Using tongs, transfer the apples, rounded sides down, one at a time to a 10-inch (25-cm) French skillet. Arrange them in a concentric circle around the outside, overlapping each apple by about a third and purposely crowding them. Arrange the remaining apples in the center of the ring; it’s far less noticeable if the center is more messily arranged. You might have a couple extra apple pieces—we call these snacks. Pour any extra caramel in the skillet over the apples. Let this cool for 10 minutes and use this time to roll out the pastry.
Roll the dough out to a rough circle about 1 inch (2.5 cm) larger than the skillet. If you’re not ready to use it yet, chill until needed on a lightly floured plate or tray.
Top the sautéed apples with the pastry round, tucking in the edges all around. Cut a vent or two in the center and place the skillet on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake until the pastry is nicely browned (don't skimp on this) and the apples are bubbling around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes.
Run a butter knife around the edges of the skillet to loosen. Let cool in the skillet for at least 30 minutes, ideally 60 minutes. Peek under the crust if you can, or tilt the skillet slightly, looking for evidence that the caramel and juices have thickened slightly. To invert, cover the skillet with a serving plate, grasp the skillet and plate tightly together as a unit (wearing oven mitts if it is still warm) and flip quickly. Remove the skillet. If any apples stick to the skillet, just replace them where they should go on the tart. Serve warm with crème fraîche or whipped cream. Serves 8.
Notes:
Checking the caramel’s temperature: It takes 1 to 2 minutes for the caramel to get to the dark amber color after you whisk it smooth—this is really fast. More than once, in just the 10 to 20 seconds I was fumbling with my thermometer (the temp reading won’t stay steady), it got too dark and smoky, and I had to start over again. I highly recommend just eyeballing the color. A drop of caramel poured on a white plate will look dark amber in color.
Rewarming the tart: If the tart has cooled completely before you serve, either return to the oven (if in a pie dish) or the stove (if in a skillet) to warm up and loosen the caramel for a few minutes. Leftovers keep well in the fridge; rewarm gently before serving.
Recipe courtesy of Deb Perelman, cookbook author and founder of Smitten Kitchen