Authentic French Tarte Tatin recipe by inspired by origin Tatin Sisters recipe. Kitchen techniques of Chef Raymond Blanc from "Kitchen Secretes" enhance this recipe ease and simplicity. My take on this delightful dessert is to use harvest fresh apples or other fruit at the peak of freshness and nutrients. Adjust the size of the Tarte Tatin so you use all your fresh fruit - apples, pears, plums, peaches and more.
Roll out 2 mm 1/16 inch thick round on a lightly floured surface, 3 cm / 1¼ inch larger on all sides than the tatin/pie dish or skillet (nonstick, stainless steel, iron) you are using to form the tart (for example, 9 inch pie dish will want an 11½ inch round; using a plate as a guide can help to cut it precisely
Lightly prick it all over with a fork (puff pastry) or cut a few small holes near center (pie pastry)
Wrap it in cling film or lay it on a sheet of parchment paper - freeze
Preheat oven to 350 F / 180 C
Prepare the Filling, Caramel and Fruit
Put water in tatin dish (pie dish or skillet pan)
Spoon the sugar evenly and let it absorb the water for at least 2 minutes
Peel and quarter apples. Remove seeds / core. (can place them in a bowl of cold water with lemon juice to avoid browning, but not necessary for this recipe) - must keep the apples ready before making the caramel
Over medium-high heat, cook the sugar water syrup to a very pale blond caramel. It will continue to cook and darken in the hot tatin dish and in the oven, so remove immediately from the heat just as color starts to appear
Stir in the cold diced butter (off the heat). You now have a caramel sauce in the base of your tatin dish
Assemble the Tarte Tatin
Arrange the apple quarters very tightly. The bottom of the dish/pan will become the top of the Tarte Tatin, so make a beautiful pattern that will be appreciated when the tart is turned over.
Start by arranging the fruit around the edge of the dish first, rounded outside of apple down, then fill in the middle in a similar fashion. Make sure the center has an apple as a beautiful center. (Alternatively, apple slices can be arranged in fan shapes as a decorative top)
Pack tightly, slipping additional apple quarters in to fill in gaps tightly. Avoid having any gaps and allow fruit to be deep like a good pie filling
Gently press the fruit down with your hands to ensure there are no gaps and equal arrangement of fruit. You should feel a balanced tension across the fruit. If you feel any gaps, fill those and adjust tension.
Brush the fruit with the melted butter, using a pastry brush if you have one. This will help the apples roast beautifully and stay moist and delicious
Bake the Tarte Tatin
Cook in the oven for 30 minutes, then take out the dish
Place the disc of frozen pastry on the top of the fruit and tuck the edges down the side of the dish, to the bottom of the dish.
Make sure the holes in the pastry are sufficient to allow steam to escape. If not, pierce a few small holes near the center
Bake in the oven an additional 45 minutes until the puff pastry is golden brown and crispy