Tarte Tatin
A mistake. Stéphanie Tatin forgot to line the tart tin before adding the apples and butter. Rather than throw them out, she put the pastry on top and baked it anyway. The hotel guests asked for more.
Total time
60 minutes
Serves
8
Difficulty
Moderate, the caramel is the hard part
Origin
Lamotte-Beuvron, Sologne, France, 1888
"We had forgotten to line the tin. Stéphanie said, put the pastry on top, we will turn it out at the table. The guests applauded. The dish stayed on the menu.
"Hotel Tatin
Use a firm, sharp apple. Braeburn, Pink Lady, Cox. Soft apples collapse into the caramel and lose their shape.
The caramel must go dark amber before the apples go in. Too pale and it tastes flat. Too dark and it burns bitter. Watch the colour, not the clock.
The single biggest failure mode is flipping the tart before the caramel sets back. Wait two minutes after pulling it from the oven, then flip in one confident motion onto a serving plate larger than the tin. Half-measures end in caramel down the front of the oven.
