Tarte Tatin History, The Caramelized French Apple Tart

Want to know how to make the best Tarte Tatin and the story behind its origin? Keep reading.

The tarte tatin history is fascinating and tells the story of two sisters, a little village called Lamotte-Beuvron and a happy accident.

This dessert is a different take on the traditional apple pie and one you’ll see on the menu in many French restaurants and auberges.

But how did it become so famous? What was it that pushed this dish of caramelized apples into the spotlight?

Let’s dive in and discover the story behind the Tarte Tatin.

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What Made Me Attempt Making Tart Tatin?

Tarte Tatin is without a doubt one of my favourite French dessert recipes. I mean who doesn’t love a combination of caramel, apples and puff pastry?

Now it’s no great secret that I have a love-hate relationship with baking.

I’ve had some whopping disasters including hot cross buns that looked like bath bombs and lemon muffins that looked like a battlefield explosion.

But never one to be deterred by a few little mishaps, I’ve soldiered on with my baking.

And I have to say, I have actually improved. So much so that I decided it was time to up the ante and try baking a Tarte Tatin.

I wasn’t even put off by the fact that you cook it upside down and have to turn it over once it’s done – that in itself is enough to make anyone want to run from the kitchen.

But as I’ve been slowly working my way through the top ten traditional French Recipes, I knew I had no choice but to give Tarte Tatin a go.

And anyway, it’s about time we had a dessert as so far we’ve had Coq au Vin Blanc, Boef Bourginon, and Moules Marinières.

What is Tarte Tatin

I’m so glad you asked. Possibly one of the yummiest French desserts I’ve ever made, it’s also one of the simplest, as far as ingredients are concerned.

Tarte Tatin is a dessert that combines pastry with melt-in-your-mouth caramelised apples. Although you can eat it cold it’s best served hot straight out of the oven.

No complicated list of ingredients as all you need is pastry, apples, butter and sugar, along with some tap water.

What’s the difference between Tarte Tatin and an Apple Tart? ​​

Good question. An apple tart, or Tarte aux Pomme in French, is cooked traditionally, in a similar way to a pie where the pastry is filled with fruit, popped in the oven and baked.

Tarte Tatin is different because the apples are cooked first on the stovetop and caramelised. The pastry is then placed on top and you cook the whole thing in the oven upside down.

Tarte Tatin History & The Story of the Tatin Sisters

There are a few versions of this story about the origin of Tarte Tatin. But the one that seems to be the most popular is that it came about as a happy accident in the 1880s.

In a sleepy little village called Lamotte-Beuvron on the banks of the Solonge River, two unmarried sisters (Demoiselles), Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin, ran a hotel.

The story goes that Stéphanie, who did most of the cooking, was overworked in the kitchen one day. She was making an apple pie and had left the apples cooking in butter and sugar.

Smelling burning she tried to rescue the apples by putting pastry on top, popping the whole thing in the oven to finish it off, and then serving it upside down to her guests.

The dessert went down a storm and so it became a signature dessert of the hotel.

However, it wasn’t until the sisters died that the name Tarte Tatin was bestowed upon the dish.

What apples do you use with Tarte Tatin?

Originally the dish was made with Reine des Reinettes (Pippins) but now pretty much anything goes and it depends on your taste.

Some recipes suggest using green apples like Granny Smith so the sour taste of the apples offsets the sweetness of the caramel.

I prefer sweeter apples as I love the mix of different levels of sweetness. The most common tend to be Golden Delicious, Pink Ladies, Fuji and Gala. ​​

What do you cook a Tarte Tatin in?

Again this is down to personal choice, but as it’s often sold as a one-pot dish many people opt for an ovenproof pan. That way you can caramelise the apples in the same dish as which you bake it along with the pastry.

I didn’t do this. Here in France, you can get a specific Tarte Tatin oven-ready tin for baking it in the oven.

So I caramelised my apples on the stove in one pan and then transferred them into the tin, poured over the caramel and popped the pastry on top before putting it in the oven. It turned out beautifully.

Does the Tarte Tatin recipe use puff pastry?

There are recipes for both shortcrust and puff pastry for this dish, but puff pastry is the most recommended. It’s more buttery and flakey and works better when flipping the dessert over once cooked.

I’ll hold my hands up and admit that I got shop-bought pastry for my recipe as I didn’t trust myself to make my own. Most recipes tell you to do this so it’s not really cheating.

What to serve with Tarte Tatin

As I said earlier this is a dish best served hot and I kept it simple with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. But you could also serve it with whipped cream if you prefer.

However, there are those that say it should be served solo, on its own without anything at all.

And believe it or not, there is actually a brotherhood for the protection of the Tarte Tatin, called Confrérie des Lichonneux de Tarte Tatin.

They originate from the home town of the Tatin sisters in Lamotte-Beuvron in central France. Their recipe calls for you to serve the dish without any accompaniment.

How to make Tarte Tatin from scratch

It actually isn’t as hard as you think it is and the key thing to focus on here is the caramel. If you don’t caramelise enough you won’t get that lovely dark consistency of caramel. If you cook it too much it will taste burnt and inedible.

But if I can do it without getting it wrong so can you.

First things first though, apples go brown very quickly so you need to remember to soak them in water with lemon juice to stop that from happening.

And be warned, when you add the apples to the caramel mix they’ll release quite a bit of water. Don’t worry though, this will thicken up if you cook on medium heat.

Famous Tarte Tatin recipes

Top of the list has to of course be Julia Child, the American chef making French Food accessible to American housewives. Click here for Julia Child’s Tarte Tatin Recipe >>>

As a fan of the Great British Bake Off, and of course the wonderful Mary Berry, I have to include her version with top tips. Click here for Mary Berry’s Tarte Tatin Recipe >>>

And as I have pretty much every cookbook Jamie Oliver has ever written I’ve naturally included his recipe too. Click here for Jamie Oliver’s Tarte Tatin Recipe >>>

Raymond Blanc is about as famous as they come and his is one of the most searched recipes. Click here for Raymond Blacn’s Tarte Tatine Recipe >>>

And finally, the kitchen goddess herself, Nigella Lawson. I love her version of the individual Tarte Tatins served at a dinner party. Click here for Nigella Lawson’s Tarte Tatin Recipe >>>

And if you’re a foodie like me, then you’ll love this round-up of 15 of The Best Food Festival in France.

FAQS: Tarte Tatin The Upside Down Apple Tart