Tarte Tatin
The famous French upside-down tart: apples cooked in caramel in a pan, covered with pastry, baked and flipped to reveal a glossy caramel top.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Total
- 1 h 40 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Medium
Ingredients
Tick off what you have ready.
Method
Tap a step when it's done.
The story of this dish
Tarte tatin is named after Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin, sisters who ran a hotel in Lamotte-Beuvron in central France in the late 19th century. According to the best-loved story, one sister overcooked apples in butter and sugar on a busy day and, to save them, covered the pan with pastry, baked it and served the tart upside down.
This "happy accident" can't be verified, and some say upside-down tarts were baked in the region before the Tatins. What is certain is that the dessert became famous under their name, and it is often said that it spread after being added to the menu of Maxim's in Paris.
French Cuisine
Ratatouille
Provence's sunny vegetable stew, where aubergine, courgette, peppers and tomatoes simmer slowly in olive oil until they melt together.
Quiche Lorraine
France's most famous savoury tart: crisp buttery pastry filled with smoky cured meat and a silky egg-and-cream custard.