Recipes Desserts Pies & Tarts Fruit Tarts Tarte Tatin is Our Favorite Way to Eat Caramelized Apples and Buttery, Flaky Pastry Be the first to rate & review! This classic French dessert is easy but impressive, and is one of our favorite ways to celebrate apples. By Benoît Guichard Benoît Guichard Benoît Guichard is a French chef whose restaurant in Paris, Jamin, earned two Michelin stars for its classic cuisine. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 25, 2023 Rate PRINT Share Active Time: 25 mins Total Time: 2 hrs Servings: 8 Each year high achievers in all of France's trades, from hairdressers to chefs to florists, compete for the top honor of Meilleur Ouvrier de France — best worker in France. When Benoît Guichard competed with this iconic dessert, he placed first in the pastry category. Frequently asked questions What is Tarte Tatin? Tarte Tatin is a French dessert for which apples are caramelized in a skillet with butter and sugar, then topped with a round of pastry dough and baked. After baking the tarte, you invert the skillet to serve it. Tarte Tatin was named for Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin, who created it at the Hôtel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron, France, in the 1880s. What kind of apples are best for Tarte Tatin? You want to make sure that the apples are flavorful and don't bake down to mush for this dessert. Golden Delicious, Fuji, Jonagold, and Northern Spy apples are great options. Make ahead A few components of this dessert can be prepared in advance. The pastry can be made up to a month in advance and stored in the freezer, or up to a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. You can peel and core the apples in advance as well, and store them in an airtight container (they will brown a bit, but will brown while cooking anyway, so don't worry about it.) Suggested pairing An apple tart like this one calls out for a sweet white wine, such as a honeyed and unctuous German Auslese. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen We love that this dessert is simple but so impressive. The trick is to make sure your platter is larger than the diameter of the skillet, so you can flip it over without losing the apples. If any do slip out or stick to the pan, just place them in the tart. You can make this a few hours in advance of a dinner party and serve it at room temperature, or warmed in a 300°F oven for a few minutes. Top it with ice cream, crème fraîche, or whipped cream. Ingredients Flaky Pastry 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt 1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes 3 tablespoons ice water Apple Filling 3/4 cup sugar 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into thin slices 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 5 pounds apples (such as Golden Delicious, Fuji, Jonagold or Northern Spy), peeled, halved, and cored Crème fraîche, whipped cream, or ice cream, for serving Directions Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle Make the Flaky Pastry Blend the flour with the salt in a food processor. Add the butter and process until well blended, about 8 seconds. Add the water and process just until the water has been absorbed and the mixture looks like wet sand. Transfer the pastry to a work surface and knead lightly until it comes together. Pat the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry into an 11 1/2-inch round. Drape the dough over a rolling pin, then open it out on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Meanwhile, make the apple filling Spread the sugar evenly in the bottom of a 9-inch cast-iron skillet. Scatter the butter over the sugar and drizzle with the vanilla. Arrange the apple halves on their sides in the skillet in 2 concentric circles with all of the apples facing the same direction. Pack the apples closely together. Place 1 apple half in the center to fill the empty space. Set the skillet over moderately low heat and cook the apples until the surrounding syrup becomes a thick, golden brown, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Baste the apples with the syrup regularly with a bulb baster. The liquid should remain at a gentle bubble. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the skillet on a baking sheet and bake the apples for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Drape the Flaky Pastry over the apples and carefully push the edge of the pastry down inside the pan. Return the skillet to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the juices are bubbling over. Remove the tart from the oven. Immediately invert a platter with a lip over the skillet. Quickly and carefully invert the tart onto the platter so the apples are on top. If any apples stick to the skillet, set them back into the tart. Serve warm or at room temperature, with dollops of crème fraîche, whipped cream, or ice cream. Originally appeared: March 1999 Rate It Print