Tarte Tatin - Was It Really an Accident?
Tarte Tatin has been very popular worldwide ever since its inception in the 1800s. The familiar story often retold is that of the Tatin family and their hotel in the small town of Lamotte-Beuvron in Central France, about 100 miles south of Paris. Jean Tatin opened l’Hotel Tatin in the 1800s. In 1888, his two daughters Caroline and Stéphanie (Fanny) took over the hotel after he passed away.
Caroline managed the books while Stéphanie cooked. From morning to night, Stéphanie worked in her kitchen. She was a great and gifted cook but perhaps not the brightest of people. Her specialty was an apple tart, served perfectly crusty and caramelized, and was reported to have melted in your mouth.
The sisters were always busy during the hunting season as their restaurant was situated in an area full of wetlands. The story goes that one day Fanny was running late because she had been flirting with a handsome hunter. She rushed into the kitchen, threw the apples, butter, and sugar in a pan, and then rushed out to help with other duties. Soon the odor of caramel filled the kitchen. Fanny realized she'd forgotten about the apple tart and in a flash, she tops the caramelizing apples with a circle of pàte brisée and pops it into the oven to finish cooking.
Caroline and Fanny Tatin
Raves of delight emanate from the filled dining room. Curnonsky, the famous gastronome of the time, hears about the Tarte and declares it a marvel. Word of this new gastronomic delight reaches Paris. Maxim's owner hears about it and he decides he must have the recipe. He supposedly sent a cook/spy, disguised as a gardener, to Lamotte-Beuvron to discover the secret. The spy is successful and brings the recipe back to Maxim's where it becomes part of folklore.
But is this the truth? There are other theories like the one of tarte solognote which was said to be an early version of an upside-down apple tart. There also were regional cobblers that may have been the inspiration. The best clue comes from the very first recorded recipe for Tarte Tatin written by Marie Souchon, a close friend of the sisters.
"Use a copper dish, without which one cannot make this delicious tarte. You will also need a coal-fired stove well stocked with embers. Rest your copper dish on top, and place embers over the lid of the dish since you will need equal heat from above and below to be successful.
Recipe: Take a good chunk of butter and knead it vigorously. Spread it over the bottom of your copper dish, and cover generously with a layer of sugar. Cut up pippin or calvile apples, and place them carefully into your dish. Put as many layers as the dish will hold. Cover the apples with a thick layer of sugar. Separately, prepare a dough with flour, butter, and water. Roll it out as thinly as possible, about 1 millimeter [3/64"]. Cover the apples and trim the dough around the dish. Cover with the lid which must not touch the dough. Bake as mentioned above. Once done, cover the tarte with a serving dish and flip it upside down. Eat warm"
“One intriguing clue comes from a note at the end of Marie Souchon's recipe that reads: "This recipe was invented by the cook of the Count of Chateauvillard, who passed it on to Fanny Tatin." Research has confirmed the existence of the Count, who was born in 1827 into a wealthy Parisian family. He devoted most of his life to the enjoyment and promotion of water sports, while living off his inheritance. One finds him in Lamotte-Beuvron in 1872 when he purchases the château de Tracy, a 75-acre estate about 3 miles from town. He owned it for five years. Of his cook, sadly, nothing is known. The Count died in 1880 without an heir or close relative. Did his cook join the hotel staff after his demise? Did she meet Fanny during the Count's sojourns at his château? Where did the cook find the inspiration for her recipe? These questions may never be answered.” (reprinted from the Friends of the Tarte Tatin website).
Whatever the true history might be, the fact remains that tarte Tatin is one of the great dishes of the world.
Here are 3 variations I make often:
My Mother Mishou’s Tarte Tatin
For the Apples
¾ c. sugar
¼ c. butter
8 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cut into 1/8ths)
1 orange (zested)
1 pinch cinnamon
1 recipe Tarte Tatin dough
Tarte Tatin Dough
12 oz all-purpose flour
¾ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
½ pound unsalted Butter
½ c. ice cold Water
For the Apples
In a heavy gauged pan, caramelize sugar and butter.
Add apples, zested orange, and cinnamon. Cook until the apples are caramelized.
Arrange apple pieces in a circle in the pan.
Top with dough, tuck in edges around the sides
Bake in a 500˚ oven till the dough is golden brown, about ten to fifteen minutes.
Let cool slightly then flip over onto a plate, dust with powdered sugar, and serve immediately.
Tarte Tatin Dough
Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder together.
Cut the butter into small cubes and mix it into the flour mixture. You’ll know it’s mixed correctly when it looks like coarse cornmeal.
Add just enough ice-cold water to make a dough. You want to be very careful NOT to over mix the dough or else it will be tough. Flour develops gluten which acts very similarly to a muscle. It’s what gives our bread and pastries structure.
Let the dough rest for 1 full hour, or overnight.
Roll the dough out to a 12” circle.
Apple Cheese Tarte Tatin
For the Tarte
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 Granny Smith apples peeled and cut into 1/8ths
2 tablespoons of Calvados (optional)
1 wheel of Camembert cheese, 3 ounces of white cheddar, or 3 ounces of fresh goat cheese
1 recipe Tarte Tatin dough or 6 ounces of puff pastry
Preheat oven to 375˚ F.
In a heavy gauged pan, melt the butter and sugar together. Add the apples and cook over medium heat until they are caramelized on both sides, about 10 minutes.
Arrange apple slices in a circle in a 12-inch skillet lined with parchment paper. Slice the cheese and spread evenly over the top of the apples. Top with dough, tucking in the edges around the sides of the apples.
Bake until the dough is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Let cool slightly then flip over onto a plate and serve immediately.
Artichoke Tarte Tatin
For the Artichokes
1/2 lemon slices
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 quarts water
pinch salt
pinch herbes de Provence
4 large artichokes
For the tart
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion sliced thinly
1 fennel bulb sliced thinly
1 sweet pepper sliced thinly
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
12-inch circle of puff pastry
3 ounces of fresh goat cheese
1 cup of tapenade - see my recipe here
For the Artichokes, put the lemon, oil, water, salt, and herbs into a Dutch oven. Hold the artichoke on the cutting board and cut the stem off at the base of the artichoke. Use a razor-sharp paring knife to trim away the dark green exterior leaves around the base of the artichoke. Keep rotating the artichoke and trimming as if you are peeling an apple. Stop when you see the white of the bottoms. Cut across the top of the artichoke at the point where the leaves begin to turn pale, just above the bottom. This will be about an inch up from the base. Using a small spoon, scoop out the choke and discard. It is probably easier if you watch the video.
Put the artichoke bottoms into the pot and bring to a rapid boil over medium-high heat. Lower to a simmer and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. You can check by inserting a paring knife into the base. It should go in easily. Drain the artichokes and refrigerate until cool.
For the Tart, heat the oil in a Dutch oven until hot and cook the onions, fennel, and peppers until soft, about 5 to 8 minutes. And the garlic and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the vegetables from the pan and let cool. Everything can be prepared up to this point the day before.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Line the bottom of a 12-inch skillet with a circle of oiled parchment paper. Slice each artichoke thinly, about 1/8th of an inch thick. Lay the artichoke slices in a concentric circle on the bottom of the skillet. Top with the vegetables and then pieces of cheese. Top with the dough, tucking the excess neatly around the artichokes.
Bake on the bottom shelf of your oven for 20 minutes then move to the top shelf and continue baking until the crust is golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes more. Flip the tarte over onto a serving plate, and serve immediately. I like to serve with tapenade on the side.
