Tarte Tatin — Lamotte-Beuvron, France
Lamotte-Beuvron, France
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Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin ran a hotel-restaurant opposite the train station in Lamotte-Beuvron, in the Sologne, at the end of the 19th century, catering to hunters. Legend has it that a botched tart — apples left too long in butter and sugar, rescued with a sheet of pastry laid on top — gave rise to the dessert that bears their name. The hotel still exists and still serves it.
The rule is the flip: the apples, in wedges, first cook in a butter caramel, right in the tin; the pastry is laid on top and the tart is baked, then turned out in one motion onto the serving plate, apples on top. It is eaten warm, with crème fraîche.
Preparation
- 01
Peel the apples and cut them into thick wedges. In a flameproof cake tin, melt the butter and sugar into a golden caramel.
- 02
Arrange the wedges tightly, standing up, in the caramel. Cook for 15 minutes over medium heat so they candy.
- 03
Lay the pastry over the apples, tuck the edges down inside the tin, and prick it.
- 04
Bake for 30 minutes at 190°C (375°F). Let rest for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Serve warm with cream.
Where this version sits
A single, final coordinate: Lamotte-Beuvron, France. Another version of the same dish, elsewhere, gets its own point.
Photo: Franck Chicot from Nantes, France — CC BY-SA 2.0
