Apple Tarte Tatin

#recipe


About

Classic upside-down caramelized apple tart baked in an 8 inch pie dish. The apples are packed tightly over bourbon caramel, baked until deeply golden, topped with pastry, then inverted after resting.

Key Technique

• Cook the caramel patiently to 185°C / 365°F before adding bourbon.
• After adding bourbon, bring the caramel back up to 149°C / 300°F before adding butter.
• Keep the caramel below 185°C / 365°F after adding butter so it does not become hard candy.
• Pack the apples tightly because they shrink as they cook.
• Avoid stirring once the apples are arranged so the pattern stays intact.
• Rest the tart for 20 minutes before inverting so the caramel sets around the apples instead of spilling out.
• Torch the bottom of the pan before unmolding to loosen the caramel and help the tart slide out cleanly.

Ingredients

Apples and Pastry

• 0 apples
• 0 pie crust or puff pastry sheet, frozen is fine

Bourbon Caramel

• 0g sugar
• 0g water
• 0g bourbon
• 0g butter

To Serve

• vanilla ice cream, optional

Equipment

• 8 inch pie dish
• Small pot
• Candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer
• Peeler
• Apple corer
• Knife
• Lid or foil for covering the pie dish on the stove
• Kitchen torch
• Serving dish
• Optional: spiralizer for apple sheets

Instructions

1. Make the Bourbon Caramel

1. Add the sugar to a small pot and pour the water over it.
2. Heat over medium heat. Be patient and cook until the caramel reaches 185°C / 365°F. It should have just started to brown.
3. Add the bourbon and stir it into the caramel.

- Tip: The bourbon may bubble aggressively when added, so pour carefully.

1. Keep the caramel on the heat until it comes back up to 149°C / 300°F.
2. Add the butter and stir over the heat until fully incorporated.

- Important: Do not let the caramel go over 185°C / 365°F after adding the butter, or it may become a harder candy.

1. Once the caramel is well incorporated, pour it into the pie dish and allow it to cool.

2. Prepare the Apples

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F.
2. Peel and core the apples.
3. Arrange the apples neatly in the pan in a spiral shape, packing them tightly because they will shrink as they cook.

Optional Spiralized Apple Method

1. For a more aesthetic tarte, use a spiralizer to sheet the apples.
2. Roll the apple sheets into one large roll that fills the pan to the edges.

- Note: This method uses more apples because the apple is more tightly packed.

3. Cook the Apples on the Stove

1. Once the pan is neatly packed, place it on the stove over medium heat.
2. Cover the pan and cook until the apples begin to release water.
3. Continue cooking covered until the water from the apples starts to incorporate into the caramel and loosen it.

- Important: Do not stir the pan, or it will disrupt the apple placement.

1. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until you see boiling at the bottom of the pan and the apples begin to look slightly translucent.

4. Bake the Apples

1. Put the pie dish into the oven.
2. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until:

- the center is around 100°C / 214°F

- the edge is around 107°C / 225°F

1. The apples should have a nice golden color.

5. Add the Crust and Finish Baking

1. Remove the pan from the oven.
2. Use a flat spatula to gently press down on the apples so they squish slightly and fill in any empty gaps in the pan.

- Tip: This helps the apples form together more neatly into the shape of the pie tin.

1. Lower the oven temperature to 175°C / 350°F.
2. Place the pie crust or puff pastry over the top of the apples.
3. Bake for another 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden.

6. Rest and Invert

1. Remove the tart from the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes.

- Important: This rest lets the caramel around the apples set instead of spilling out when the pie tin is inverted.

1. Flip the pie tin over onto a serving dish.
2. Heat the bottom of the tin with a torch to melt the caramel slightly and help the tart slide neatly out of the tin.
3. Lift off the tin.
4. Serve warm with ice cream.



Notes

• Frozen pie crust or puff pastry is fine.
• Pack the apples more tightly than seems necessary; they shrink significantly.
• The spiralized apple method gives a cleaner visual pattern but uses more apples.
• The caramel temperature matters: too hot after butter is added can push it toward hard candy.
• Resting before inverting is important so the caramel sets around the apples rather than spilling out of the pan.
• Torch the bottom of the tin before unmolding to remelt the caramel enough for a clean release.

Storage

• Best served warm the day it is made.
• Reheat slices gently before serving, especially if serving with ice cream.

Source

Personal recipe