Simpler to make than apple pie, a Tarte Tatin defies the cliché of fussy, flawless French desserts, while offering that same rich, sophisticated taste. Made with juicy apples doused in sweet caramel and draped with a buttery crust, it proves how simple ingredients can work magic together. An absolute must to have in your baking repertoire as a French host(ess)!
The difference between Apple Tarts and Tarte Tatin
In France, classic apple tarts (tartes aux pommes) usually come in pretty crusts, sometimes filled with “compote” (apple sauce) or frangipane (almond cream), are topped with neat apple slivers, baked to golden perfection and often finished up with a shiny apple or apricot glaze. These apple tarts are the ones you will find across French bakeries, and the ones French people often buy to serve for dessert at their Sunday family lunch.
On the other hand, a Tarte Tatin is more of a home bakers’ recipe – which you won’t necessarily find in most bakeries. This tart is quicker and simpler to make than a classic bakery-style apple tart, which make it more approachable. It doesn’t require any thin apple slices but instead preserves the taste and shape of the apples, making them the trues stars.
What I love most about the tarte Tatin is that it doesn’t have to be perfect. The crust can crumble, the caramel can drip, a few apples can fall out of line. It’s fine. Tarte Tatin will always look appetizing and taste fantastic, no matter what.
A Tarte Tatin is a perfect recipe for home bakers of any skill level.
Breaking it down
Despite its complicated reputation, the tarte Tatin is a simple concept: apples, caramel, and crust. The tart is baked upside down, with caramel and fruit at the bottom and the pastry on top. Once inverted, the lustrous caramelized apples are unveiled. With only a few ingredients and an understanding of key factors and techniques, you’ll be a master of the Tatin in no time.
So, make sure you read my tips for a perfect Tarte Tatin before your start. These may look a bit lengthy, but they explain all the key components and steps of this recipe: the choice of the best baking vessel, the best apple variety, the proper time taken on the stove to cook the apples, etc. Combined, these components and tips will make for a successful Tarte Tatin.
Tips for a perfect Tarte Tatin:
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The baking vessel: Choose a cast-iron skillet.
I have tested this recipe with different baking vessels: a pie dish, a cake pan and a cast-iron skillet. The skillet made for the most successful recipe, by far! As pictures here, I use a 9-10” (22.9cm-25.4cm) cast iron skillet. Starting your oven on high (430F/220C) and using a skillet is ideal to give an initial heat shock to the tart. This provides faster and proper baking. With the other baking vessels, I had to cook the Tarte Tatin on lower heat for longer, which made the apples turn overcooked and mushy, while the crust was still barely cooked. A skillet tolerates and retains higher heat, which makes it the best vessel to create the best caramelization, crisp crust and proper overall baking.
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The apple variety: Choose Honeycrisp apples.
I have tested this recipe with different apple varieties, including Royal Gala, Melrose, Braeburn, Granny Smith and Honeycrisp. Honeycrisp apples provided the best results. They turned so sweet and tender, but not mushy at all. Many recipes out there suggest the use of both Granny Smith and Honeycrisp. Using different apple varieties is something I always do when I bake American-style apple pies, to provide both sweetness and tartness. But when I tried this option with the Tarte Tatin, the Granny Smith actually turned mushy, while the Honeycrisp kept a nice texture. The version using solely Honeycrisp was just perfect, working with my suggested cooking time and method (if you use other apple varieties that work well, let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear it).
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Do not underestimate the initial stove-top cooking process.
Taking the proper time to cook the apples on the stove-top first is an essential step. Do not rush it. You want the apples to release their juices in the skillet, so they don’t sweat it out in the oven later. Otherwise, you’ll end up with juice oozing out of the pan when baking and a soggy crust. Once the apples have sweat their juices out and are lightly caramelized (20 to 30 minutes, depending on your stove top), gently transfer them with a slotted spoon to a cooling rack, so they drain properly and cool down. The remaining apple juice in the skillet then gets reduced and turned into a caramel.
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Don’t forget the salt!
A generous sprinkle of salt (ideally fleur de sel) will make the apples shine even more and bind all the ingredients together beautifully. I think the step of salting the apples – after cooking them on the stove top and right before returning them to the skillet and into the oven – brings so much life to this tart. Think of it as salting your meat before your cook it. It brings tenderness, life and so much more character. For the fleur de sel, I use Fleur de Sel de Guerande. As a substitute, Maldon salt works great too.
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The crust: Homemade is the way to go!
This recipe can be made with a store-bought pie crust if you wish. Although, I highly recommend you make your own crust here, as it will make a big difference. This crust recipe is specifically tailored to a Classic Tarte Tatin. It is buttery and crisp -firm enough to be kept together for the final flip-, but slightly more delicate and crumbly than a classic pie crust – which is exactly what you want for a Tarte Tatin. It has to be a little more messy than your average apple tart.
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The Caramel
Note that the time needed for cooking the caramel will depend on your stove-top and on what kind of skillet you are using. Keep a close eye on the caramel color as it simmers and aim for a golden hue—not amber. Since color can be hard to judge in a dark skillet, occasionally smear a small amount of caramel onto a white plate to check progress.
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The Flip
The feat of flipping the tarte Tatin upside-down after baking can seem intimidating, but really, don’t stress out about it. Run a knife around the crust, place a plate on top of it, hold the plate and skillet firmly, and flip. If any apples move around or remain stuck to the skillet, simply place them back onto the tart before sliding it onto a serving tray.
I hope you’ll love this Classic French Tarte Tatin as much as I do! Enjoy it warm or after a few hours in the fridge, to allow the apples and crust to firm up so you can serve clean slices. A dollop of crème fraiche on top is mandatory—in true French fashion.
More French Apple Recipes you may like:
- Classic French Apple Cake
- Breton Apple Pound Cake
- Cinnamon Apple Galette
- Thin Apple Tart (Tarte fine aux pommes)
- Skillet Caramelized Apple Cake from Brittany
- Gluten-Free Apple Crisp
Cover with a large sheet of foil (so the steam is kept inside) and cook for 20 minutes until the apples are tender (but not mushy), stirring occasionally and pouring the liquid in the pan on top of the apples (always place the foil back). 
With a slotted spoon or spatula, transfer the apple quarters to a cooling rack and sprinkle evenly with the fleur de sel (or sea salt flakes). Bring the heat to high and simmer the remaining liquid until it turns into a golden caramel.
Remove from the heat.
Cover with the crust and tuck the edges of the crust into the pan. Poke four tiny holes into the crust with a knife (for the steam to escape while baking).
93 comments
This looks delish!
Thanks Karly!
Great recipe. Thanks a lot for all the detailed explanations.
Just please adjust the grams of butter in the ingredients list, it’s twice as it should be. Here where it says:
For the crust:
1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour…
½ cup (125g) unsalted butter.
1 cup cannot be the same grams as half cup, right?. 🙂
Hello, Maku! Great question, and please allow me to explain.. And this is also why the French are so adament about using measurements when baking.
On first glance, you’re right to think that there is a mistake, but in fact, there is not. Flour is much less dense than butter, thus 1 cup of flour only weighs approximately 125gr. Butter, much more solid and rich in fat, is dense, and thus one cup of butter would actually weigh approximately 250gr!
So, the recipe is in fact correct to say 125gr (1 cup) flour and 125gr (1/2cup) of butter.
I am so glad you enjoyd the recipe and explanations, and I hope my explanation about the weights of ingredients helped you out. It’s a fun experiment to go in your kitchen and actually see how much 1 cup of flour, sugar, milk, butter, eggs, oil etc weighs… They’re all so very different 🙂
[…] ed era favolosa! Per la ricetta e il procedimento mi sono affidata ad Audrey del bellissimo blog Pardon Your French, che svela anche qualche trucchetto per fare una Tarte Tatin degna dei nostri cugini […]
Greetings. I am always looking for delicious recipes that I can adapt for my husband who is diabetic. This recipe was amazing! Instead of sugar I used Ideal Sweet and we skipped the pastry. My family went nuts over this! I added a sprinkle of cinnamon to the baking process. In the end we had an amazing culinary delight with the vanilla colliding with the caramel and then a hint of cinnamon! Magical Experience! Thank you for a YUMMY Treat!!!
Thanks Wendy! I love that adapted the recipe to your family’s needs and I love the pinch of cinnamon in there.
I’ve been testing out Tarte Tatin recipes from around the internet and had a real aha moment when I remembered your blog, finally a French baker can weigh in for me on what the Tarte Tatin is all about! I can’t wait to try out your recipe, I gasped out loud when reading your suggestion to use the apple juices to make the caramel! I also love the idea of salting the cooked apples!! I will post again after trying your recipe. I found your blog orginally when looking for a classic French chocolate mousse recipe for my husband who loves a good chocolate mousse, I followed your directions exactly and it turned out perfect. Thank you for sharing all of these wonderful French recipes its a real pleasure to be able to enjoy these treats and to learn how to make them.
Thank you for this kind comment Erin, and I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe!
Could I use regular stainless steel pans for this as I don’t have a cast iron pan?
I can not wait to make this, my favorite childhood memory was making this with my grandpa in the south of France.
J’adore ce blog!
Hi Laura. I have tested the recipe with different vessels and found that a cast iron skillet was the best. It tolerates and retains higher heat, which makes a nice caramelization and crisp crust. You can however try this recipe with a stainless steel pan – make sure it is oven-proof and can stand 430F. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
I so wanted this to work. Love to bake. My sugar never seemed to melt, and my butter separated. Tried it twice. I know it’s something I’m doing,, just can’t figure it out and I’m so frustrated! Any suggestions please!! I truly love to bake and really need tips
Hi Rebecca! Butter separating when making caramel already happened to me, many times 🙂 This is usually when my pan gets too hot, too quickly: the butter separates while the sugar didn’t have time to melt yet. In this case, you can try and save the caramel by taking the pan off the heat and whisking continuously until it looks homogeneous again. You really want to take it nice and slow when making caramel. I hope this helps! For more details, here’s an article you may like: https://www.thespruceeats.com/why-did-my-butter-separate-when-making-toffee-or-caramel-520448
Audrey,
This recipe is awesome! I lived in the South of France for 3 years and this was my favorite dessert. When I moved back to the states I tried several different recipes to make Tarte Tatine but always burnt the caramel. In your recipe I melted the butter, sugar and vanilla at medium-low just to make sure that it didn’t break apart. Taking the apples out was a great tip, it was impossible for me to get it right without removing the apples. I used a cast iron skillet (Frontignac), it was a little big, so next time I’ll just make a bigger tarte!
The pictures were very helpful!
Merci beaucoup!
Thank you for your great feedback Mandy! Very glad you enjoyed it!
This was my first ever attempt at Tarte Tatin and it turned out perfectly. I will say my pastry crust was not very neat, but I did my best and it looks pretty close to the picture and tasted amazing.
Thanks Maddie, happy you enjoyed it!
I’ve made this recipe many times, and it just gets better and better. The only thing I do differently is instead of making the crust I use phyllo dough as the crust. Layering each sheet with butter. It makes a light crispy crust that is do delicious! Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Thank you Joy! I love the version with phyllo dough! A lot of French bakers use puff pastry as well.
Can you tell me the brand of cast iron skillet you use? I plan to get a le creuset- do I get the 1.75inches high or 2.5 in?
Hi Rica! I have a Lodge skillet (which is a very affordable brand); and I believe it is closer to 2.5 inches high. My recommendation would be to get one with edges that are 2.5 high, so you can also use it for other recipes that would require even more depth/layers (ie. cobbler, chicken pot pie, pasta bake, etc…).
love the detailed steps and the useful tips. THIS is the recipe of Tarte Tatin, I’m going to try.
Thank you! Enjoy!
I’m going to try this recipe but there’s something I don’t understand. Can you clarify when you say “ and tuck the edges of the crust into the pan”. What does that mean? Thanks. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Hi Marian! Here is how this step can be re-worded: “… cover the apples with the entirety of the dough crust. And edges that hang over/are in excess get folded back over the dough (see the photo right below).” I hope this helps, happy baking!
Hi Audrey, just wondering if I can use my vanilla concentrate instead of an actual vanilla bean & what’s the equivalent?
Hi! Yes you can use 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract instead. This won’t affect the taste/texture a lot 🙂 Happy Baking!
Hi, I just made my first tarte tartin (my favorite!) and it turned out really yum but I need to work on the dough for the crust. I followed your recipe exactly but my dough would tear, stick to my pin and I couldn’t pick it up as a whole & put it onto the apples. What did I do wrong?
Hi! Tarte Tatin crust is supposed to be more sandy and crumbly than your usual pie crust; which makes it slightly harder to work with. If it sticks to your pin, feel free to add more flour (and flour your working surface very well). If needed, you can also pop the dough back in the fridge (for 10-15 minutes) if it breaks apart too much, so it hardens and becomes easier to work with. I hope this helps, happy baking!
This tarte tatin is BANGIN’. Thank you! I cooked my apples too long (they were from the orchard and did not hold up as well as anticipated) and a few of them looked like apple sauce. I thought about re-doing it and saving the apples in caramel for another use, but I’m glad I didn’t re-do it. It was still absolutely fantastic. Thank you for this recipe!
Amazing, thank you for your feedback Jessica!
[…] Picture. It has been used also as featured picture for this post. […]
Before I put the crust on (store bought) husband put cinnamon and grated nutmeg on top of the apples.
I may cut back on sugar it was sweet for us. Didn’t have vanilla bean so used extract. My 10” skillet did not hold 6 apples I peeled 5 and should have added all of them because they do shrink up. It was very good! Need to buy vanilla ice cream for leftovers.
Thanks for your feedback Maggee! I love that you added cinnamon and nutmeg! The caramelized apples definitely provide a nice sweetness, which can be mellowed down with a big scoop of vanilla ice-cream 🙂
This recipe is outstanding. I was a bit nervous while cooking the apples and caramelizing the sauce, but it all turned out superb!! Cant wait to repeat it!
Amazing, thank you!
Hello Audrey, the recipe looks delicious, and can’t wait to try it!! Can I make it the night before and serve the next day? Do I store in the fridge or can leave on the counter?
Hi Ren! Because the caramelized apple topping is quite “moist”, I recommend serving the tart tatin the same day, or the crust may become too wet. Happy baking!
Love your site!! This is my favourite dessert, and I tried making it for the first time after finding your recipe. It turned out good, but can be better. My caramel became too hard and wasn’t enough to cover the apples. Not sure if I cooked it too much, or that my apples did not produce enough liquid. The crust was perfect. Will definitely make again. Thank you11
Amazing, thank you Dalia!
Hello , I tried this tart tatin for the first time , I followed your instructions steps by steps .After degustation I think is the best recipe so far .big thanks for sharing.
Amazing, thank you for your feedback Abdel !
Hallo Audrey, liebe Grüße aus Deutschland!
A Pâte Brisée for sweet/savory tarts is typically (not mandatorily) in a 2:1 flour to butter proportion, but yours calls for a 1:1 ratio.
This is for sure not a complaint, as I love butter. However, given your French heritage and cooking experience while in Bretagne, I feel obliged to listen to you… Question: is the 1:1 proportion intended, or a typo?
Hello, and thank you for your comment. You are correct, this crust recipe doesn’t require the same flour-butter ratio as a classic pâte Brisée.
This crust recipe is specifically tailored to a Classic Tarte Tatin: it is more buttery and slightly more crumbly than a classic pie crust, which is what I always want for a Tarte Tatin. That being said, you could also use a classic pâte Brisée recipe if you want – nothing wrong with that!
[…] 27. Tarte Tatin […]
Made this last night, exactly as written. I’ve been making Tartes Tatin for years, but this is the best recipe ever! Absolutely perfect (except that I only needed 4 apples instead of 6). Many thanks.
Amazing, thank you for your feedback!
Made this for Thanksgiving and it turned out perfect! I was worried the caramel wasn’t going to work, but had to be patient and let it cook for a while so it thickened. It was the perfect dessert – not too heavy or rich, and tasted absolutely delicious!
Amazing, thank you!
Never made this before in my life and my partner (moved away from the UK) was desperate to taste it again after years of not being able to find anything remotely acceptable (a bit of a Tarte Tatin snob!) So I did a whole bunch of research, trawled through many many recipes and landed on this one! The biggest differences between recipes is NOT adding water as the apples will do that job and removing the apples to allow it to reduce.
Needless to say my partner absolutely loved it! Best birthday present he’s had in Australia to date. Thank you so much!
Fantastic, thank you for your review Beth!
[…] these ingredients […]
Hello Audrey!! Your recipes are LOVELY!!! Can I use the dough of this tarte to make a galette? Thank you so much and hugs!!
Thank you, Ruth. To answer your question, no, I wouldn’t use the same crust. I would definitely use a Pâte Brisée, which I have a recipe for here: Pâte Brisée
Good luck!
[…] a Classic Tarte Tatin recipe from a French dwelling prepare dinner named Audrey at Pardon Your […]
[…] pie crusts, which are traditionally made with puff pastry, look stunning on a classic tarte tatin crust. After rolling out the frozen or homemade puff pastry, press it 1/8 inch thick into a pie dish with […]
Absolutely perfect recipe!! I wanted to make it a little larger so bumped things up about 50% and while it’s nerve-wracking to flip, it was amazing! Thanks for an awesome recipe!!
Thank you so much, Carrie. Very brave of you to flip such a huge tart, but I am so glad it turned out. You’re very welcome
[…] a Traditional Tarte Tatin recipe from a French residence cook dinner named Audrey at Pardon Your […]
[…] 3. Classic Tarte Tatin […]
[…] 3. Classic Tarte Tatin […]
[…] Tarte Tatin […]
Thanks for the recipe.
You’re very welcome Deborah. I hope you have had a chance (or will get a chance to try it). I’d love to know what you thought!
Do you ever serve this with other ice-cream then vanilla ice-cream?
Great question… Trying to think if I have and honestly cannot recall. But I do think a nice salted caramel ice cream would work great too! Vanilla is perfect for me, but if I had go another route, salted caramel.
[…] Classic Tarte Tatin […]
I made this recipe for a family dinner we hosted last night, and unfortunately during my flip the entire tarte fell apart! 🙁 half of it fell out of the skillet, the other half stayed stuck. I ended up having to scoop it out with a spoon onto the plate. I don’t know where I went wrong! I did have to use a bigger cast iron skillet (11-12″) because that’s all we have, so maybe the dough was rolled too thing? As recommended, we flipped it 5 mins after taking it out of the oven (my Dad had to help, maybe tried lifting the skillet off too quickly?)
Anyway, despite the tragic-looking mess (we called it my “apple pile” and and “apple slop” all night, it was absolutely delicious! Using the juice from the apples in the caramel gave it such a fantastic flavor. I sprinkled the apples with cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg before adding them to the caramel to steam, and then again when adding them back to the pan after the caramel reduced. Thank you for this recipe, hoping next time I can get it right! Can’t wait to test out more of your recipes. 🙂
Well, Mary… The important thing is it tasted great! Kitchen mishaps are normal, and I can tell you I’ve had more than my share of them. As for what could have gone wrong here, it’s hard to say. Could the size be part of it? Possibly. I’ve never made a tarte tatin that large and even in stores/bakery shops here they’re smaller. but that doesn’t mean it’s the case, either… On the surface it seems you did everything right. Could have just been one of those days!
Again, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and I’m sure you’ll nail it soon. Thanks for the comment!
Hi Audrey,
It’s me again, George from Melbourne. I followed your guide to making Tarte Tatin yesterday. It was very successful, although I do have to confess that I used store-bought puff pastry. I have made this previously but your version is much more user-friendly. Thanks again.
George
Hello again, George! An honest and common admission, even by me 🙂 Store bought puff pasty and pie crust is always a savior when you’re in a pinch or short on time. No worries. So glad you enjoyed it!
Bonjour. Is it possible to pre-roll out the crust disc and place it in the fridge already stretched while cooking the apples? Merci d’avance, Julia 🙂
Sure, Julia! Just try to keep the disc covered well to stop it from drying out. Hope you enjoy it, and I’d love to hear what you think!
Made this today. Tarte Tatin is so much more forgiving that an apple tart, which is why I love it. It was delicious but a few issues–the apples (I used Granny Smith as that’s what i had in the house) got mushy very quickly–had to take them off the heat after ten minutes. The crust was okay–a little bit thin and while the edges were crispy the bottom was less so. The caramel was already a dark brown after 10 minutes of the apples cooking in it. Despite all this, it still tasted great and didn’t look too bad! I’d love for the apples not to be mushy–would it make a difference if I had used Honeycrisp?
Hello, Juliette! I absolutely agree with your assessment about Granny Smith – they tend to turn mushy on me as well. Still tastes great, but not the texture I’m looking for. I wholeheartedly support the use of Honeycrisp, as they always give me the perfect texture and firmness when baking this dish!
Another suggestion would be to turn the stovetop down just a touch from where you had it the first time. This would likely help a good amount with browning the caramel less and cooking the apples a touch less as well.
Glad you enjoyed the dish, and I’m certain you can make this perfect!
I made this and it was delicious! Thank you!
Thanks for much for commenting, Jessie. So pleased that you enjoyed the tarte!
Wonderful! Easy and fancy! I didn’t brown my sugar enough thinking it would get too dark. Next time I know better! Put a pan under your pan to catch any spill over!
Thank you so much, Mandy! Sugar can be tricky, but you made it work and you know more for next time… Just an excuse to make it again 🙂
This was incredible and so easy to make! My guests all raved about it and asked for the recipe! I love the touch of rusticness, but it is still very fancy! I followed the recipe, except I used pre-made all-butter puff pastry. Your tips are excellent, too! By the way, I just ordered your cookbook and can’t wait to get it! Thank you!
I really appreciate the kind words and support, Sharon. Doing my first cookbook was a challenge, but I really enjoyed it. I’m hoping to do another sooner than later (time permitting).
Of course, I’m thrilled you and your guests enjoyed the tatin 🙂 Compliments to the chef!
So… I’ve always wanted to try a tart tartin, especially one I made fresh myself. Since I had success with your madeleine recipe, I felt using your recipe for tart tartin was worth a go. Luckily, honey crisp apples are in season right now (I’m in the Southern Hemisphere), but there are only four growers in my state and I had to drive around 45 minutes to the other side of town to an orchard that had an open day (where the public could pick their own apples and pears for a very low price). Honey crisp apples aren’t generally available in supermarkets or green grocers, but I lucked out I guess. So I had my apples, other ingredients and all the equipment (cast iron pan etc), so I had a go. It went well, the pastry did stick a little during the flip (and the pastry did break a bit), obviously I should have read the recipe a little closer as you did say to run a knife around the edge (I’ll remember next time). The recipe was delicious, but a few caveats. I did add the finishing salt (yes, the very brand recommended, and the amount recommended), it didn’t spoil the taste, but boy, I sure was thirsty afterward! Now I know salt can improve flavor, even in sweets (like salted caramel), but do you think it’s really necessary, especially a teaspoon’s worth? Yours is the only recipe for tart tartin I’ve found that salts the apples. If I make it again, I think I’ll leave out the salt. That being said, your choice of apples was spot on, they held their shape beautifully, and the rest of the instructions worked out fine. One thing I found though, your recommendation to cover the apples with aluminum foil and remove them when cooked (but not soft), well, there is one problem, despite choosing apples uniform in size and cutting them to be as uniform as possible, they just didn’t all cook evenly at the same time! I think you’re better off taking the aluminum foil off and cooking them with an open pan, while checking with a knife, or small fork, periodically for doneness and taking them out when done. The pastry was also nice, but I think a puff pastry would be even nicer, and I think I’ll do it that way next time as well. Overall, really, really good! I’m glad I made it (it’s been on my “to try” list for ages). I can understand now why tart tartin is so well loved all over the world, it’s a simple, yet truly delicious tart. All that’s missing is a big scoop of home made vanilla ice cream to make it complete. Thanks again for the recipe and all the great hints.
Hello, Donald. Thanks for trying this recipe and so glad you enjoyed it!
I enjoyed reading how you navigated the recipe and that you were able to find the correct apples. The thing is, and I’m sure you know this), sometimes when we use different vessels and ovens the results can vary a bit…
But it sounds like you made it work for you and know what you may need to alter in the future.
As for the salt, feel free to lower the amount (or avoid it altogether) to your taste. I think a light sprinkle would be perfect in your case, it just really elevates the caramel taste.
Thanks for the comment, tips and review. Much appreciated!
I followed the recipe precisely.
The crust crumbled. I make lots (LOTS) of pies with homemade crust. Never had it disintegrate. Maybe the egg?
Hello, Sherry. So sorry to heat this and would love to help you diagnose the issue.
For starters, just for clarity, did you measure the ingredients by weight (I very highly recommend this)? In regards to the egg, did you use the yolk only? The last thing I can think of is, if the crust seems too dry when you’re trying to bring it together, you can add up to 1 tablespoon of water (I’d start with half) to make sure it binds.
I hope this helps, I’d love to get this right with you 🙂
You actually want to make sure the butter is either room temperature or melted before attempting caramel.
A good tip for readers, no doubt. I usually just take the butter out of the fridge as I start the recipe off, so it’s not quite at room temperature and still has some coldness to it. Since the butter melts in the pan with the sugar to start things off, over medium heat, I don’t usually have any problems with the caramel, but in the interest of ensuring less room for error, a room temp butter would be ideal. Merci!
So I tried the tarte tatin, & everything was going smoothly, but the crust failed me miserably! So when I turned it over, it all fell apart, but I’ll still serve it tomorrow in little bowls… with crème fraîche!
Oh no, Linda! We have to solve the mystery! For starters, I always have to ask… Did you measure by cups or by weight? No doubt it will still taste delicious, but the objective is a tarte tatin and I want nothing more than for you to have that. Please let me know the above and any other information that may help so we can get this on track. Merci!
This looks like a great recipe so I printed it off. However,m it is the biggest waste of paper I have ever seen. Two of the four sheets are virtually blank due to the way it is set up to print. Maye I suggest that you reconfigure to make it waste less paper.
Sorry to hear that. I will pass your issues along to the plug-in publisher to see what the issue might be. It’s not me who created the add-ons for the recipes to print (that’s way above my technical level) it’s a plug-in for the website that is meant to allow people to print a recipe that I upload, and it definitely should only use one or two sheets of paper. Thanks for letting me know, and hopefully they are able to remedy it quickly.
LOVED this and so did my dinner guests, despite the fact it was borderline burnt! Am sending recipe to a cousin in HI. Next try will make a little more crust and watch baking times more closely! Also need to find good cooking apples (like cox in France?). Taking apples out after cooking and the caramelisation process is what makes this recipe. After several tries, I’ve found THE tarte tatin recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so very much, Karen, I truly appreciate it. So glad you and your guests enjoyed it… But may I add, that for some reason this tarte being slightly overdone almost adds another dimension of flavor to it – like a slightly burned caramel – that I actually enjoy! I’ve been in the same boat and the taste still worked for me, even though bordering on burnt. Here’s to the next try!