Tarte Tatin – Upside Down Apple Pie

Published on 13 May 2020 | In | By
    • Prep Time
    • Minutes
    • Cook Time
    • Minutes
    • Yield
    • 8

This is a French classic, and I really love this.  The tartness from the apples, mixed with the sweetness of the caramel – simply fantastic.  Tarte Tatin is basically an upside down apple pie.  The apples go in the bottom of the pan, and the pastry on top – it is then baked in the oven until the pastry is brown and crispy – and then it is turn out on a serving platter.

I have been making this dish for a number of years – not often, but when I do, it is literally chomped up in minutes.  It is relatively easy to make, but it makes a real impression if you have guests.

This is one dish that I have also made on the open fire – a really cool party trick when you are camping or just having a BBQ with friends.

Ingredients

  • 500 g Puff Pastry
  • 800g Apples (mix of Granny Smith & Golden Delicious), peeled, halved and cored
  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 100 ml Hazelnut Vodka
  • 1 vanilla pod , halved lengthways, seeds scraped out
  • 50 g butter , cubed
  • 500 g Puff Pastry
  • 800g Apples (mix of Granny Smith & Golden Delicious), peeled, halved and cored
  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 100 ml Hazelnut Vodka
  • 1 vanilla pod , halved lengthways, seeds scraped out
  • 50 g butter , cubed
  • 500 g Puff Pastry
  • 800g Apples (mix of Granny Smith & Golden Delicious), peeled, halved and cored
  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 100 ml Hazelnut Vodka
  • 1 vanilla pod , halved lengthways, seeds scraped out
  • 50 g butter , cubed

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 180˚C. Dust a clean surface and a rolling pin with flour and roll out your puff pastry until it’s just over 0.5cm thick. Make sure there will be enough to cover the ovenproof frying pan you’ll be cooking the tarte tatin in, leaving about 5cm extra around the edge. Put aside.
  2. Peel your apples, then halve them horizontally and use a teaspoon to get rid of the seeds and core.
  3. Put the ovenproof pan on a medium heat and add the sugar, Vodka, vanilla seeds and pod. Let the sugar dissolve and cook until the mixture forms a light caramel. Remember the hot caramel can really burn you, so do not touch it.
  4. Once the caramel looks chestnut brown add your halved apples. Carefully stir everything in the pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until the apples start to soften.
  5. Add the cubed butter, then lay the pastry over the top. Tuck the pastry down right into the edges using a wooden spoon so you don’t touch the hot caramel with your fingers.
  6. Bake the tarte tatin for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden.
  7. Take it out of the oven. Now you need to turn it out, which isn't hard, but you do need to be careful with that hot caramel. Get a serving plate or board larger than your pan and put an oven glove on to protect the arm holding the board. Put the board or plate on top of the pan, then quickly, carefully and confidently turn it out. Put it to one side for a few minutes, so the caramel can cool down, then divide it up and serve with a spoonful of crème fraîche or ice cream.
  8. Preheat your oven to 180˚C. Dust a clean surface and a rolling pin with flour and roll out your puff pastry until it’s just over 0.5cm thick. Make sure there will be enough to cover the ovenproof frying pan you’ll be cooking the tarte tatin in, leaving about 5cm extra around the edge. Put aside.
  9. Peel your apples, then halve them horizontally and use a teaspoon to get rid of the seeds and core.
  10. Put the ovenproof pan on a medium heat and add the sugar, Vodka, vanilla seeds and pod. Let the sugar dissolve and cook until the mixture forms a light caramel. Remember the hot caramel can really burn you, so do not touch it.
  11. Once the caramel looks chestnut brown add your halved apples. Carefully stir everything in the pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until the apples start to soften.
  12. Add the cubed butter, then lay the pastry over the top. Tuck the pastry down right into the edges using a wooden spoon so you don’t touch the hot caramel with your fingers.
  13. Bake the tarte tatin for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden.
  14. Take it out of the oven. Now you need to turn it out, which isn't hard, but you do need to be careful with that hot caramel. Get a serving plate or board larger than your pan and put an oven glove on to protect the arm holding the board. Put the board or plate on top of the pan, then quickly, carefully and confidently turn it out. Put it to one side for a few minutes, so the caramel can cool down, then divide it up and serve with a spoonful of crème fraîche or ice cream.
  15. Preheat your oven to 180˚C. Dust a clean surface and a rolling pin with flour and roll out your puff pastry until it’s just over 0.5cm thick. Make sure there will be enough to cover the ovenproof frying pan you’ll be cooking the tarte tatin in, leaving about 5cm extra around the edge. Put aside.
  16. Peel your apples, then halve them horizontally and use a teaspoon to get rid of the seeds and core.
  17. Put the ovenproof pan on a medium heat and add the sugar, Vodka, vanilla seeds and pod. Let the sugar dissolve and cook until the mixture forms a light caramel. Remember the hot caramel can really burn you, so do not touch it.
  18. Once the caramel looks chestnut brown add your halved apples. Carefully stir everything in the pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until the apples start to soften.
  19. Add the cubed butter, then lay the pastry over the top. Tuck the pastry down right into the edges using a wooden spoon so you don’t touch the hot caramel with your fingers.
  20. Bake the tarte tatin for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden.
  21. Take it out of the oven. Now you need to turn it out, which isn't hard, but you do need to be careful with that hot caramel. Get a serving plate or board larger than your pan and put an oven glove on to protect the arm holding the board. Put the board or plate on top of the pan, then quickly, carefully and confidently turn it out. Put it to one side for a few minutes, so the caramel can cool down, then divide it up and serve with a spoonful of crème fraîche or ice cream.