Merci beaucoup, I say, to those crazy desmoiselles Tatin (note: desmoiselles = plural of mademoiselle = unmarried ladies = in this case, the unmarried Tatin sisters of Lamotte-Beuvron, France). It was they, who, sometime in the latter part of the 19th century, decided to cook the apples for their apple tart in simmering caramel before topping them with a pastry crust, cooking them in the oven until the crust was properly done, and them flipping the whole darn thing upside to set and serve. The result? Pastry perfection. We, as a people, owe a great debt of gratitude to the desmoiselles Tatin.
The thing about tarte tatin, though, is that it can be just pretty darn good, or it can be transcendent. I, personally, have to say that I have never produced what I would consider to be the perfect tarte tatin. I think I can make them pretty well, but they're tricky. There's lots of little steps along the way that have to go just right for the tarte turn out perfectly. And by perfect I mean: apples caramelized through and through until they glow like pieces of amber, but haven't turned to mush. A thin, sticky layer of caramel between the apples and the crust that is neither too liquid (because then the crust will then be soggy) or too thick (because then it is likely to be scorched, and too hard). Frankly that layer of caramel that marries the apples to the crust in a tarte tatin is, I think, the main reason it's one of the great desserts of all time. You really want to get it right. And last, a buttery, flaky, crisp, tender crust. The crust can be made with a variety of doughs, but I think puff pastry is the way to go.
Because the Tarte Tatin is such a classic, who better to consult for a recipe than Julia Child. It's from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, of course, Volume 1, with a few adaptations.
La Tarte des Desmoiselles Tatin
4 lbs. firm cooking apples
1/3 cup granulated sugar
~
2 tbsp softened butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 tbsp melted butter
Preheat oven to 375F.
Peel, core and quarter the apples, and toss in a bowl with the first measure of sugar. In a 9-10" oven-proof skillet, sprinkle half the sugar over the bottom of the skillet, and arrange a third of the apples over that. Sprinkle with a third of the melted butter. Repeat the apple and butter layers two more times, and then sprinkle the remaining sugar over the top layer.
For the crust: Julia recommends short dough, but as I said above, I think puff pastry is the way to go. If you use store-bought (which I did for this tart), try to find an all-butter brand. If you live near a Trader Joe's, they have happily resurrected their all-butter frozen puff pastry very recently, and it would work perfectly. Anyway....cut the pastry to a circle just slightly larger than the size of the top of the skillet. Place it over the apples, and tuck the edges into the inside of the dish. Bake in lower third of a preheated oven for 45-60 minutes. If pastry begins to brown too much, cover lightly with aluminum foil. Tart is done when you tilt the dish and see that a thick brown syrup rather than a light liquid exudes from the apples between the crust and the edge of the dish.
Julia says to immediately unmold the tart onto a serving dish, but I say wait for ten minutes or so, to give the caramel a chance to set up a bit. A note: it sounds so innocent - unmold the tart. But in actuality the tart flipping is a bit of a treacherous business. There is likely to be excess caramel flowing everywhere, so flip the tart by placing a cooling screen on a sheet pan and using that to flip the tart over. The excess caramel will drain off the edges, and when it is cool you can move the tart to a serving dish. Tarte tatin is traditionally served with creme fraiche, but of course ice cream is also a perfect accompaniment.
Another note: you can actually buy dedicated tarte tatin pans; look how pretty. They are pricey, though and an oven-proof skillet works perfectly well. Using Julia's method, you could actually use a pie dish as well.
Just one more note: although apples are traditional, you can use the tarte tatin method to make all manner of caramelized fruit (or vegetable) tarts. Pears, peaches, quince. In The Country Cooking of France, Anne Willan writes about savory versions featuring tomatoes and endive. I have been thinking about attempting a pineapple tarte tatin for quite a while. But you really can't go wrong with apples.
The last note, I promise: Actually, I lied just a second ago. You can go wrong with apples, if you use the wrong kind. You don't want an apple that will turn to mush under caramelization, so long for a firm, relatively tart apple. Golden delicious are often used in this country, Pink Lady is a good choice, too.
