The Core Facts

Overall verdict: Possibly the most delicious thing I have ever eaten
Timings: 10 mins prep + 30 mins chill + 10 mins hob + 25 mins oven
Sugar: 160g
Butter: 120g
Type of apple: Braeburn

The Long Peel

If you’re looking at this picture thinking ‘What a mess! Why is she sharing this? Why are the apples upside down?’ then you need to know that I made three attempts at Alain Roux’s Tarte des Demoiselles Tatin. The pictures shown here are actually from my second effort, which was the best of the three. The other two looked more like roast potatoes in a Yorkshire pudding.

I have to tell you though; it was totally worth the effort. Even the scrappy-looking Tarte Tatins tasted sublime. I had never tried one before and the warm caramel with the flaky pastry and sharp, soft apple blew my mind.

It’s also a really fun thing to make – until the end. A layer of butter and a layer of sugar are put into an oven-proof frying pan with the apples placed on top. A blanket of puff pastry then goes over all of that. After chilling, the whole thing is cooked on the hob for 10-15 minutes before being baked in the oven for 25 minutes.

Where it gets very tricky is tipping the extremely hot tarte upside down onto a plate. Alain warns to keep arms covered to protect against the hot sugar/butter combo but I’m still not sure how you get it done safely and neatly. Mine looked nothing like his.

Also: I know that a Tarte Tatin is not strictly an apple tart or an apple pie or a tarte aux pommes. But it is a tart with apples and is therefore included in this project.

The Pastry

You need puff pastry for this recipe and I’ve watched enough episodes of Bake-Off to know that making puff pastry is time-consuming and difficult. So I bought a block of it and rolled it out to Alain’s specifications.

The Apples

I made a mistake with the apples on attempt number two (which you see in the photos here). I peeled and halved the Braeburns as Alain instructed but I should have put them in the pan rounded side up. It made no difference to the taste I’m sure but it looked a bit weird.

The Bake

The reason I made three attempts at this recipe? Neatness. And even after three attempts, I’m still not entirely sure how you arrange the pastry to ensure a neat outcome. On the third attempt I tucked the pastry right under the apple/butter/sugar mass so the caramel didn’t escape. However, this resulted in pale caramel and too much puff and not enough apple. The second attempt (below) was the right size even if it looked messy.

The Dish

I had to abandon my usual pie dish for this one. Alain suggests an oven-proof frying pan or an actual Tarte Tatin mould.

The Hot Slice

Luckily, it doesn’t really matter if the whole tarte looks like it fell from a great height. A single slice looks classy while tasting celestial. So even if I never get the knack of tipping the pie onto the plate successfully, I would still make a Tarte Tatin if I was baking a dessert for other people.

The Rested Result

This doesn’t show the amount of caramel very clearly but I can assure you there was lots of it:

If We Repeeled

• Learn the trick of tipping the hot pan upside down to get a neat tarte
• Make sure the apples are placed round side up on the butter/sugar base

Scores

Simplicity of bake: Tricky but enjoyable
Pastry texture: Good – it was shop-bought puff so flaked nicely
Pastry taste: Amazing – puff pastry soaked in caramel is delicious
Apple texture: Soft but held their shape well
Apple taste: The apple halves really retain a strong apple flavour, even when surrounded by caramel and pastry
Apple to pastry ratio: Good
Overall score: 9