Prepare the famous recipe for the inverted tarte tatin, which is an indispensable part of French gastronomy

Have you ever tried tarte tatin recipes? If you love fruit and caramel, then this is the dessert for you.

How about making your children, partner, close relatives or even friends happy and conjure up an upside-down cake?

It’s a delicacy that is said to have actually been created by accident! Well, if every mistake tasted so luxurious, we’d be taken care of!

Try one of our variants and see which one you end up loving the most.

Dad’s classic Tarte

This popular French cake, also called upside-down, is a delicious treat that melts on the tongue. It has a unique structure, characteristic taste and is suitable for any occasion.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 chilled fresh unsalted butter cut into cubes
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the fruit base:

• 6 medium-sized sweet apples
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup fresh unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 vanilla pod
• 1 teaspoon fleur de sel

Method:

• First, we start by preparing the dough so that it can rest before processing.
• Mix flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the chopped butter and knead with your hands until you get a crumbly texture.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with the lemon juice with a fork and add to the other ingredients.
• Knead until we get a smooth dough from which we shape into a ball. If it seems too dry, we can add 1 tablespoon of water.
• Wrap in plastic film and refrigerate until you need the dough (minimum 30 minutes, maximum 24 hours).
• Peel the apples, remove the cores and cut them into quarters. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to prevent browning. Mix the apple quarters so that the juice gets everywhere.
• In a cast-iron pan (or any other pan that can be put in the oven at 220°C), melt the butter with sugar and the pulp from the vanilla pod over medium heat, which you just need to cut in half and scrape the inside with a knife.
• Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the liquid begins to boil. Add the apple quarters, stir to coat, and reduce the heat to low.
• Cover with a piece of aluminum foil to keep the steam inside (you can also use a lid) and cook for 20 minutes until the apples are soft (but not mushy). Stir occasionally during cooking so that the apples are still covered with liquid.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apple quarters to a cooling rack and sprinkle evenly with fleur de sel. Increase the temperature and cook the remaining liquid until it forms a golden caramel. Remove from the heat and preheat the oven to 220 degrees.
• Take the dough out of the fridge, place it on a floured work surface and roll it out into a 30 cm circle.
• Place the cooled apple quarters back into the caramel pan, outer side down. Cover with rolled dough and carefully “tuck” the edges behind the fruit around the entire perimeter of the pan.
• With a knife or fork, make several holes in the surface of the dough so that steam can escape during baking. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 220°C.
• Then lower the temperature to 190 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes until golden. Let the finished cake rest for 5 minutes and immediately turn it upside down onto a serving plate. We mustn’t wait longer so that the caramel doesn’t harden and the apples don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Serve while still warm with a dollop of crème fraiche or whipped cream. If you want, you can let the tarte tatin cool first and then serve it with vanilla ice cream.

Puff pastry tarte tatin

French cuisine has its own special charm, especially when it comes to sweet pastries and desserts. The combination of fruit and caramel is unique and has a sensational taste. Thanks to the use of ready-made dough, it is ready in no time and you can go feast.

Ingredients:

• Smooth flour for sprinkling
• 500 g puff pastry
• 800 g of smaller apples (ideally a mixture of sweet and sour varieties)
• 100 g of powdered sugar
• 100 ml of Calvados
• 1 vanilla pod (cut in half lengthwise and scrape out the pith)
• 50 g butter cut into cubes

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.
• On a floured work surface, roll out the finished puff pastry into a circle about 28 – 32 cm in size and about 0.5 – 1 cm thick. Put the dough to one side for now. Peel the apples, then halve them horizontally and remove the cores using a spoon.
• Put the roasting pan on the stove at medium temperature, add sugar, Calvados, vanilla pulp and pod. Let the sugar dissolve and cook until the mixture turns into a light caramel.
• We work with the utmost care and never taste the hot caramel to avoid unpleasant burns.
• As soon as the caramel acquires a chestnut brown color, add the halved apples. Carefully mix everything in the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, until the apples start to soften and start to smell.
• Add chopped butter, and finally cover with a rolled sheet of dough. Smooth and carefully insert the edges around the apples using a wooden spoon, so there is no risk of touching the hot caramel.
• Place the Tarte Tatin in the preheated oven and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes until golden.
• Take it out of the oven and carefully turn it out onto a serving plate. To be sure, we will use gloves intended for manipulation during baking.
• Let it rest for about 15 minutes so that the caramel cools down. Then divide into individual portions and garnish with crème fraîche or ice cream.

Pear cake

Tarte tatin is usually made with apples, but other fruits are no exception. This version is perfect not only in taste, but also in appearance. You’ll love it more with every bite.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 1/2 cup fresh unsalted butter
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 cup sour cream

For the filling:

• 5 – 6 larger firm pears
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons of fresh butter
• 2 teaspoons of ground candied ginger
• Lightly grated fresh nutmeg (or ground nutmeg)

Method:

• Cut the butter into cubes and let it stand at room temperature. In a separate large bowl, mix the flour, sugar and salt.
• Work the butter into the flour with your hands until small pea-sized pieces of butter are formed.
• Stir in the sour cream with a fork. Shape the dough into a ball and form a disc. Before rolling out, wrap in plastic film and put in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. In the meantime, let’s start preparing the filling.
• Peel the pears and cut them in half lengthwise. We put one half of the pear aside, it will be in the middle of the cake, and we cut the remaining halves lengthwise once more.
• Remove the core, place in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent the pears from browning. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar and stir to distribute the sugar and lemon juice all over the pears.
• Melt the butter in a cast-iron pan (must be put in the oven) over medium heat. Mix the butter so that it also covers the sides of the pan. Pour 2/3 cup of sugar over the butter in an even layer. Remove the pan from the stove.
• Place half of the pear cut side up in the center of the pan. Stack the pear quarters around the entire surface, next to each other.
• Return to the stove and cook at a medium temperature for about 20 to 30 minutes to caramelize the mixture. Then we take it off the stove and put it on the baking paper with the pan.
• Sprinkle grated nutmeg and ground candied ginger over the pears.
• Roll out the dough into a sheet slightly larger than the size of the pan. Place the rolled sheet of dough on the pears and gently push the edges to the edge of the mold. We have to be careful, the pan and its contents are still hot. We can help ourselves with a fork and use it to insert the dough instead of our fingers.
• Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and put a cast iron pan in it. Leave for 5 minutes and reduce the temperature to 175 degrees. Bake for about 3 to 40 minutes, so that the cake acquires a golden to brown color.
• Remove from the oven and very carefully invert the contents of the pan into a serving bowl, using oven mitts
• Allow to cool to room temperature before serving. Serve with a little vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Mini cupcakes with strawberries

If you have several smaller baking dishes at home, ideally the size of a small dessert plate, then it is high time to use them to prepare tarte tatin.

Ingredients:

• 30 g of butter + for erasing the molds
• 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of water
• 1 vanilla pod (cut in half, scrape out the pith)
• 500 g of cleaned and rinsed strawberries
• 2 sheets of ready-made butter puff pastry

For decoration:

• whipping cream
• 1-2 bags of vanilla sugar

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 200 °C and prepare small round cake tins or baking dishes, which we grease with a thin layer of butter.
• Place the butter, sugar, water, vanilla pulp and vanilla pod in a non-stick pan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.
• Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, remove from the heat and discard the vanilla pod.
• Place the strawberries in bowls/moulds and cover with caramel. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll it out to a thickness of 0.5 cm.
• Cut circles from the dough with a diameter larger than the mold/bowl and place them on top of the strawberries.
• This is how we process the remaining caramel, strawberries and dough.
• Place the bowls on a baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the dough is puffy and golden.
• Turn the cakes out onto dessert plates and decorate with whipped cream, which is whipped with vanilla sugar.

Gluten-free apple tatin

If you are one of those who suffer from gluten intolerance, there is no immediate reason to give up sweet treats. You just have to prepare them without gluten and you will see that you will enjoy them just like the classic ones.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 1/2 cup amaranth flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/3 cup white rice flour
• 5 tablespoons of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons fresh unsalted butter cut into small pieces
• 1 L-sized egg

For the apple filling:

• 5 to 6 medium-sized apples (peeled, cored and halved)
• 5 tablespoons of fresh unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar

Method:

• Sift amaranth, almond and rice flour into a large bowl. Add sugar and salt.
• Using a fork, work the butter into the flour.
• Add the lightly beaten egg and mix until the mixture forms a ball. Wrap in baking paper and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• In an ovenproof pan, melt 5 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Stir in the sugar and cook for about 1-2 minutes to create a caramel sauce.
• Place one layer of apples cut side down on the pan. Simmer the apples in the caramel sauce for about 15 minutes until the apples are soft (they shouldn’t be soft and mushy).
• Remove the pan from the heat and preheat the oven to 220 degrees.
• Lightly sprinkle a large sheet of baking paper with rice flour. Place the chilled dough on floured paper and cover with a second large sheet of waxed paper.
• Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thickness of 0.5 – 1 cm. Place a dinner plate that is larger than the pan on top of the dough and cut it with a knife.
• Place the rolled out dough on top of the apples in the pan. Slowly peel off the waxed paper from the dough. Using a fork, gently press the outer edges of the dough.
• Bake for about 20 minutes or until the cake is golden brown. Remove the baked cake from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.
• Then turn it over onto a serving plate. Slice and serve.

A little about Tarte Tatin in conclusion

The famous French apple pie, which is characterized by reverse baking. First, the bottom of the mold is covered with butter and sugar, from which we make caramel, then apples are added and finally the dough. Only when it is baked, do we turn the cake with the fruit up.

According to available information, this cake is the work of the Tatin sisters. This couple (Caroline and Stéphanie) ran the Hotel Tatin near Paris. Rumor has it that Stephanie once made their traditional apple pie, leaving the fruit with butter and sugar in the pan for too long.

This would make the original cake not taste as it should. She tried to save the slightly burnt fruit by putting dough on it and simply put it in the oven with a pan so that the pudding would bake and the apples wouldn’t be completely burnt.

She ended everything by actually turning the cake upside down and serving it to the guests. They appreciated her creation very positively. Of course, there are different versions of the history of Tarte Tatin in circulation.

Some claim that she just baked her typical caramelized apple pie upside down, or even a story circulated that this sweet gem was already mentioned in a cookbook 40 years earlier. Whatever the truth, this delicacy has received high praise.

It became part of the Hotel Tatin menu and was served as the local specialty Torte Solognote. It is strange that the name TarteTatin was given to the famous French writer Curnonsky.

The Parisian restaurant Maxim’s also appreciated it and included it on its menu, because the owner only had one taste and fell in love with the cake. Maxim’s was the first place in Paris where this delicacy could be tasted.

What fruit and dough to use for the cake?

In addition to apples, which are typical for it, pears, apples, strawberries, plums, quinces, peaches, pineapples and tomatoes can also be used.

Of course, vegetable variants can also be prepared, and onion is no exception, which is a very pleasant variety. As for the dough, a proper tarte tatin is made from shortcrust pastry or puff pastry.

What is Fleur de Sel?

The original name is Flor de Sal, but it is also called Flower of Salt. It is said to be one of the finest and most delicious types of salt in the entire world, and it ranks among the very best. Of course, this is also reflected in its price.

How to get salt flower?

It can be said that it is obtained almost in the same way as sea salt, by evaporating sea water. Only the method of collection and the location where it takes place differ. Salt flower is only produced in a few places.

It needs very specific sea and weather conditions. The coast of France or Mallorca, Spain, are ideal for these purposes.

There are special salt lakes that gradually dry up. Salt crystals remain, which are then collected only by hand. Fleur de Sal has a characteristic taste like sea air. The structure, reminiscent of miniature plates, is also interesting, which is very unusual for salt.

It is very unusual in our country and many people have no idea about it. In most cases, it is not something that we can just find in a supermarket, on the contrary, we always have to look for it in online stores.

As for the price, 100 grams costs around 100 crowns, it depends on the manufacturer, seller and packaging. In addition to 100 gram packages, you can get, for example, 500 gram packages. For beginners, it is of course best to choose the smallest pack for the test.