Apple Tarte Tatin

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Apple Tarte Tatin is wildly delicious and easier to make than you think.

Apple Tarte Tatin is one of those desserts that are simple to make but require a little extra love and attention. If you have never had it, imagine an upside down apple pie. The apples are cooked slowly in a caramel. This caramel cooks until it becomes a rich golden tan color. Then it’s topped with puff pasty. Once baked, the puff pastry is crispy and becomes the perfect vehicle for the apples to lay on top of.

For the caramel to cook, your attention is definitely required. You must watch it closely especially towards the end, as the caramel can go from perfect to burnt super quickly. Keeping an eye on this baby is so worth it.

When you flip this dessert over and the apples are caramelized to perfection you’ll see what I mean. The apples are fork tender and the puff pastry absorbs the caramel. Top it with vanilla ice cream and OMG.

My mom absolutely loves it when I make it so whenever she is in town visiting, I make sure I prepare it for her. She loves every part of this dessert, the tart apples, the sweet caramel and the dough. All of it is beautiful. 

Detailed instructions to make this delicious Apple Tarte Tatin:

Peel, remove core, and cut 8 apples into quarters. You can use Gala apples or Granny Smith work great too. Set aside in a bowl.

In a medium size, oven safe sauté pan, spread the entire stick of butter all over the pan, even the sides.

Tip! Use a flexible rubber spatula, it will help you “paint” the entire pan evenly.

After the whole pan is coated with the butter, sprinkle the sugar all over the butter so it sticks, the majority will be on the bottom and that’s perfect.

Starting from the edge of the pan, arrange the apples round side down forming a circle.

Continue placing the apples in a circle until you fill the entire pan.

Try to fill every space with the apples. You might have to cut some quarters in half so you can fit in as many apples as you can. The apples will stack high over the pan, and thats OK because they will cook down. 

On the stovetop, set the temperature to medium medium high and let the sugar and butter start to melt. The mixture will start bubbling up.

If the pan you’re using is not deep enough, the caramel can sometimes bubble over the pan a bit, don’t worry, it’s messy. Don’t freak out… this is not a fail, it’s part of what the caramel needs to go through. Just swipe the sides of the pan with a paper towel to help it a bit.

Tip! A mess is a mess, you’ll clean it later and you won’t be sorry you made it because the end result will be incredible. Sometimes we need to create messes to come up with something beautiful.

Occasionally, give the pan a little swirl to make sure it is not sticking and the heat is being evenly distributed.

Little by little the mixture will change colors and will start browning into caramel. It will take 25 to 30 minutes before the caramel starts changing colors. The caramel can go from brown to burnt in a matter of 2 seconds so keep an eye on it.

Tip! As it darkens continue the swirling motion. This step is crucial as it will help it brown evenly. Do not use a spoon.

Once the caramel has browned to a deep golden color, and you can see it throughout the spaces between the apples, remove from the heat immediately. 

On a flat surface lay out a sheet of puff pastry. Roll out to fit the size of the pan.

Using a fork, poke holes throughout the puff pastry sheet.

Carefully place the entire sheet of puff pastry on top of the pan with the caramelized apples.

Cut the edges to match the size of the pan.

Tip! Once you place the entire sheet of puff pasty over the pan, since the pan will be warm, the dough will start to melt into the pan, so take your rolling pin and roll it over the puff pasty, this will cut the dough into the exact shape of the pan. The weight of the rolling pin will “cut” the dough for you.

Line a baking sheet big enough to fit the pan with aluminum foil.

In the middle of the baking sheet, I like to do a triple layer of aluminum foil, this will protect the apples from getting too much heat and the caramel in the middle burning.

Bake in the top middle rack of the oven for 25 minutes or until the puff pastry is cooked through and its golden browned.

Tip! Place the baking sheet with the pan on the second to highest rack of the oven. The bottom of the desert is already all cooked, we are focusing on the top layer now.

Let cool for a little bit before serving.

Tip! if you’re serving this dessert and it has cooled down completely, just place the pan on the stove top for a few seconds to get the caramel soft again. Make sure nothing is sticking on the pan, if you swirl it, it should all move in one whole piece.

How to plate this Apple Tarte Tatin

When transferring to a serving platter, place the platter over the top of the pan, right on top of the puff pastry. In one swift motion flip the pan and the platter over so that the pan is now on the top. Remove carefully as some of the caramel might be runny. 

If a few apples fall out of place, don’t worry, using a fork, try to place them back to where they used to be.

Tip! Picture perfect desserts are gorgeous to look at but we don’t have to expect to make them perfect every time. The goal is to have a fantastic tasting dessert to sink our teeth in! Ha!