Caramelized Apple Tart is a French classic dessert that is one of the great pleasures of France. Made with caramelized dessert apples and sweet shortcrust pastry. It is so easy to make and, in contrast, so rich tasting!
There are many more delicious French apple recipes to try after this one. Choose from this list, Sweet And Savory Apple Recipes, make the Best Apple Fritters, or Chicken With Apple Chicken Recipe.
🔍 Quick Look: Caramelized Apple Tart
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 50 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 6
- 📊 Calories: ~595 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cook Method: Stove top, oven
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: a deeply rich, bittersweet caramel flavor combined with tender, slightly tart apples and a buttery, crisp pastry, creating a warm, comforting caramelized taste.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy to moderate.
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❤️About This Recipe
This wonderful apple tatin recipe was first made by accident in the Hotel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron, France, in 1898! The hotel was run by two sisters, Stephanie and Caroline Tatin.
As the story goes, Stephanie was overworked one day and was making an apple pie (make this easy apple pie version, Homemade Apple Pie Filling in a Galette) when she left the apples cooking too long, and they started to burn.
In trying to save the pie, she just put the pastry on top of the pan of apples and put it in the oven to cook. To everyone's amazement, her guests loved the new dessert, and it became a classic French dessert.
Who would ever think that an upside-down apple tart would turn out so successful? And, what a truly wonderful dish she has given us!
🔄Substitutions
Other fruits can replace the apples in this homemade tarte tatin recipe with good results if they can retain some firmness. Just remember that draining juicier fruits will produce better results. Fruits to try are pears, peaches, quinces, or even pineapple.
🥂How To Serve A French Tarte Tatin
When cooled, slice and serve pieces on a plate or shallow bowl that will hold a scoop or two of ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream, or a spoonful of crème fraîche.
❔Caramelized Apple Tart FAQ
Any cooking apple that won't get mushy and is a little tart is good for making a classic French caramelized apple tart. Like Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Fuji, or Gala.
Yes, this is a perfect dish to make a day ahead or even 2-3 days ahead, as the longer it sits, the better the caramelized apple tart sets up.
For a caramelized apple tart, a sweeter pastry is often used, like a puff pastry or a sweet shortcrust pastry. My recipe here has more sugar than my regular shortcrust pastry.
Yes, a caramelized apple tart will keep fine in both.
Fridge: From the day it is made, it will keep up to 5 days if well covered. After that, it will begin to deteriorate.
Freezer: Well wrapped in clear wrap and foil or freezer container, it will keep for up to 3 months. Warm slowly in the oven from frozen at 350°F/180°C/Gas 4 or thaw in the fridge.
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📖 Recipe
Caramelized Apple Tart Is An Upside Down Apple Tart
Ingredients
Fruit
- 6 Golden Delicious dessert apples - Honey Crisp, Granny Smith or cooking apples
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or orange juice
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon optional
Pastry
- 1 cup white flour all purpose
- 4 tablespoon white sugar
- 3½ oz butter /1 cup - chilled
- 4 tablespoon water ice water - use only what is necessary
Instructions
Make The Pastry
- Mix the flour, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl (a whisk works well to mix the dry ingredients).
- Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or 2 forks, until the butter is the size of peas varying sizes are fine.
- Add half the ice water and mix in until all the flour is moist, adding water as needed. Just mix until the mixture sticks together.
- Dump dough on a lightly floured surface and work the dough quickly. Your hands will warm the dough too much and cause the butter to melt into the flour if you handle it too long, so work quickly.
- When it sticks together in a ball, flatten it, then roll out the dough to the size of the dish you will bake the dessert in.
- Wrap it in clear wrap or parchment paper and place in freezer.
Prepare The Apples
- Heat oven to moderately hot 400°F/200°C/Gas 6.
- Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Place in a bowl and drizzle with lemon or orange and toss, to prevent the apple slices from turning brown.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed pan on medium heat, or the dish you will use in the oven, if suitable for both stove top and oven cooking.
- Melt the butter in the pan and heat until it is bubbly and frothy.
- Add the sugar, stirring quickly to melt it into the butter. Continue to cook the mixture until it turns a caramel color.
- If using a different dish in the oven, pour this mixture into it now.
- Arrange the apple quarters in the caramel sauce in a tight circle around the edge of the baking dish, rounded side down, then fill in the middle similarly. Gently press the apple slices to ensure there are no gaps, being careful not to get your fingers into the hot sauce or use tongs if you wish.
- Place the crust on top of the baking dish, covering the caramel apple layer completely. Tuck the crust down into the sides of the dish, or if your dish is shallow, let the crust drape over the edge, press it down onto the edge. and trim it off.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375°F/191°C/Gas 5, leaving the apple tarte tatin in the oven, bake for a further 20-25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and crisp.
- Allow to cool to room temperature for about an hour. (If you don't wait, the sauce may still be thin and runny.)
- Then run a knife around the edge of the dish to loosen the sides.
- To serve, select a serving plate that is deep enough to contain the sauce. The baking dish must be inverted so it drops into the serving plate.
- The best way to accomplish this is by placing a serving plate over the baking dish, then holding them tightly together, turning them over at once, and releasing the tarte tatin onto the serving plate.
- Serve with crème fraîche, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream and enjoy this delightful French dessert!
Notes
- Take care when turning the freshly baked caramelized apple tart upside down as it will be very hot.
- Tart apples are best to provide a contrast with the sweet caramelized sauce that is created when baking the tarte tatin.
Nutrition
nancy says
Am I missing something? I don't see directions for the pastry, just ingredients which I'm not quite sure beyond the flour which belongs in the pastry and which in the filling.
Judith Coates says
Hi Nancy, I have had simpler directions ready to post for sometime but have not been able to get to it. So here it is done. Hope you enjoy it, please let me know!