Tarte Tatin | Baking with Dorie

I’ve made multiple attempts at tarte Tatin over the years, but haven’t been fully satisfied with the results. Every time I vowed to come back with a better version or execution. That’s has gone on for far too long. The latest version of tarte Tatin comes from Baking with Dorie. I think I’ve gotten closer, but no cigar.

Tarte tatin is a tart built to be turned over. You create a layer of caramel, arrange large pieces of apple over the caramel, cover with the dough, bake and then… ta-da: Turn it all upside down, lift off the pan, admire your work and settle in for a treat. ~ Dorie Greenspan

Yes, Dorie captures perfectly the essence and the beauty of tarte Tatin. She even tells the story that:

The original tarte Tatin was itself a mistake—according to what might be a legend, the Tatin sisters, who ran a hotel near Paris, intended to make a classic apple tart but cooked the apples in the sugar for too long and, to save appearances, upended it to serve.

What was not said is how technical baking the tarte Tatin can be. By all measures, making tarte Tatin is not a difficult project. However, not unlike baking any apple pies, to get every aspect of it right can be tricky. There are pitfalls along the way — and quite a few of them. Let’s start with what has gone right with Dorie’s latest version.

I’m impressed with how easy it is to bake Dorle’s tarte Tatin in a cake pan instead of the conventional, yet unwieldy, skillet. All the anxiety of unmolding the tart in a hot pan is lifted by switching to a cake pan. Now you can relax and focus on other aspects to improve the bake.

Here is the outline of Dorie’s method:

• Make the caramel on the stovetop.
• Preheat a 9-inch cake pan in a 300°F oven.
• Pour the caramel in the preheated cake pan.
• Let the caramel cool to room temperature and harden in the pan for about an hour.
• Peel 5 to 7 apples, cut them in halves lengthwise.
• Fill the cake pan with apple halves as tightly as possible, with the rounded sides on the bottom.
• Trim the dough with just an extra inch all around the 9-inch pan.
• Tuck the dough around the apples. Fold over the excess on top. Dust it with sugar.
• Bake the tart at 375°F for about 45 minutes, until golden brown.
• Let the tart rest for up to 30 minutes. Then unmold onto a large plate.

Final tips:

Dorie’s method works well in general. For me, the pitfall this time is the apple. The tarte turns out too soggy and the apple pieces too soft for my taste. I use Honeycrisp which I don’t think is the best selection for tarte Tatin. In France, the apple of choice is Golden Delicious. Meanwhile, Dorie’s favorite is Mitsu, which is firmer than Golden Delicious. She also suggests Fuji. All in all, firmer apples seem to be the better option. In addition, allow time for the cut apples to age and dry to preempt the tarte from getting too wet.