Attempting the famous apple tart tatin

Ok I finally got the nerve to give it a try. I harvested 20 bushels of apples this year and made sauce, pie, cobbler, cake strudel ect. Time to try making apple tatin?

I know the famous apple for this French tart is Calville Blanc D’Hiver. I do not grow it. An orchard near me does but I hate to buy apples when I have 20 bushels. McIntosh and Cortland would be too soft and not hold up well. Also too sweet? After much thought I decided to try making it with N.W. Greening as it is a favorite of mine for cooking. Not sweet, great cooking appe

and holds its shape well when cooked.

I was surprised to read that one can buy special pans for Tatin making. I read the original recipe was by the Tatin sisters in France who made it in a cast iron pan. Hooray as I have cast iron frying pans.

It turned out really well! It will not last long. Just an FYI that I am well pleased with N.W. Greening apples working well for apple tart Tatin.

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It looks fabulous. If you do grow French apples, the best US apple to use is Granny Smith. Due to the its harder texture and tang, it is a perfect match for the burnt sugar bottom (which is then inverted). Looks super! Well done!! You want to slice your apples opposite sides first, so you have two large circles of apples then cut the other two rectangular pieces as filler at the end. The apples should be round and overlapping in concentric circles before baking. You’ve go this one!

Thanks for the kind words Mrs. G! Most of it was eaten yesterday. It is delicious. The caramelization of the sugar/butter married well to the tart greenings I used. N.W. Greening is very dense and takes a while to cook

I had to laugh at the recipe for this in “Joy of Cooking” as they suggested using Golden Delicious. I like Golden Delicious for cooking but I would think the Tatin would be way too sweet cooking with such a sweet apple. I did go with the recipe from Joy Of Cooking but used my Greening apples instead.

There is the best Tatin recipe in a very skinny cookbook called Having Tea. It is no fail and perfect!

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Can you share that recipe?

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Holy cow that looks incredible. I, too, have looked at many a photo of apple tart tatin and thought about trying one but never have. Now I am more tempted than ever.

You never said…did you end up using your iron skillets to make it? I’ve got lots of those so that would be great.

I have a Calville Blanc d’ Hiver apple tree but only had a few apples this year. I was looking forward to making one of these tarts when I get enough apples to use. The recipe you used would be appreciated.

Love to! Sorry the name of the book was French Tea. I’ve used it for years. I bake it at 350 degrees so I can watch the puff paste turn golden brown. The shortcut? For Pate Brisee is Pepperidge Farm puff paste sheets. Just defrost one, roll it thinner than it is to cover your pie plate, place on a cookie sheet lined with foil and place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until the crust is a rich golden brown color.

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Thanks Mrs G.

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Just to chime in here- I ran into this puff paste type recipe and I think it has to be a good one. It’s similar to a process we used in the shop, but better.

It might be useful for somebody who prefers to do it themselves, although the Pepperidge Farm product makes life simpler and is good.

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thank you!

@marknmt and @mrsg47,
Could you please also posted these recipes in the Using Fruit category, too, please? It will help us remember where to look for them. Thank you.

The question should have been asked in the using fruit venue. Can you move it?

Not sure if @Spartan wants his thread moved.

That’s why I wonder if you and Mark would like to post ayour recipes there. You could name a new thread Apple Tart Tatin :smile:

I’ll try to move it, or, we can repost on the “using” section.

It’s done! @spartan, do you mind?

@mamuang, I had already done it before I noticed your post!

Thank you. I hope @Spartan could figure out where his thread went!!

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Hello,
I do grow Calville Blanc and I feel it is well worth it. The flavor is fantastic for baking but I think it also has a lot of pectin. Calville Blanc really makes a beautiful looking tart tatin because of the way it holds its shape. I grow the apples and my mother comes over and makes the tarts.
Fantastic.
BTW, yours looks great.

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I have no problem with it moving. My recipe from “Joy of Cooking” also used 6 apples, 1 cup sugar, 1 stick of butter and baked at 350 degrees. I did not use puff pastry for the crust but made the Pate Brisee which turned out very well. I have made enough homemade pie crust and also homemade puff pastry over the years that Pate Brisee was not hard to make. Don’t let the fancy name fool you. It is a soft and sticky dough but easy enough to work with.

And yes to the person that asked, I did make mine in a cast iron skillet.

Since Calville Blanc, Granny Smith and NW Greening apples all seem to work well for this dish, I have to wonder if Ida Red, Rhode Island Greening, and Haralson might also be good choices?

If anyone had good results with other apple varieties for this I am all ears. Not everyone has access to Calville Blanc so their must be American apple varieties that will work well too. I was happy with using Greening but please do reply if you had success with other apple varieties.

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I have made Tart Tatin with Rhode Island Greening apples. Works great.