TARTE TATIN — French Cooking Academy (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep tarte tatin from getting soggy? ›

Peel and quarter the apples. Use a small sharp knife to trim the hard cores and seeds from the center of each quarter; don't worry about being too neat. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate, lightly covered, for at least one day or up to three days. (This key step reduces the amount of liquid in the tart.

Let the mix cook on a medium heat checking the color as it cooks. When the mix becomes brown and thick (not dark brown) remove the pan from the heat. Watch closely because if caramel burns will become bitter.

The Tarte Tatin should be made with puff or shortcrust pastry.

For best results, cook a day or two ahead and keep in its pan or dish in the fridge, then reheat in the oven for 20 mins at 150C/130C fan/gas 2 an hour before serving. Turn out to serve as above.

Blind-bake your base before adding a filling to help to firm the base and avoid liquid being absorbed into it. Prick the base with a fork to help steam escape, cover with foil or parchment, and weigh it down with ceramic baking beans, uncooked rice or white sugar.

Bake for about 30 minutes until the pastry is golden, then remove from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then place a plate, slightly larger than the pan, on top and then, very carefully, using oven gloves, invert the tart on to the plate. Best served warm, with crème fraîche.

Whereas pies and tarts are baked in a mould or dish, galettes are freeform; laid on a flat sheet, its edges are turned up and folded inward by hand, producing a rustic appeal and a distinct shape—while tarts and pies have crusts that are wither straight or widen at the mouth, the mouths of galettes are smaller than its ...

Cast iron, enameled cast iron, or a special tarte tatin mold, available at many kitchenware shops, are best. In any case, it should be heavy-bottomed, with a handle that can withstand the heat of the oven.

Choose a pan: a copper tarte tatin mold will be perfect (here's a link to a good one), but you can also use an iron skillet (as long as it doesn't smell like salmon or something) or even a heavy stainless steel (like All-Clad) or non-stick sauté pan.

The Tarte Tatin is said to have gained its popularity when famed Maxim's Restaurant of Paris, France, put it on their menu. One famous legend claims that, when word of this new gastronomic delight reached Paris, the owner of the famous restaurant and place-to-be, Maxim's, Louis Vaudable, took one bite and was smitten.

What's the difference between a tart and a tatin? ›

Apple Tarte Tatin is a classic French-style apple tart that requires only 4 main ingredients to make. It's different to an American apple tart in many ways: It is baked upside down, the caramel is cooked separately and it is way easier to make than a traditional American apple tart.

Keeping pies from getting soggy after baking can be achieved by following these tips: Blind bake the crust: If you're making a pie with a moist filling, like fruit pies, blind baking the crust can help prevent sogginess. Blind baking means baking the crust without any filling in it.

If the bottom crust doesn't set before the filling soaks in, it's going to be gummy. A metal pie pan placed on a preheated surface will set the bottom crust quickest; once cooked, the liquids from the filling above won't soak in, and as a result: no soggy bottom.

Finally, to prevent soggy bottom tart shells, two things. If pre-baking, when you take the tart shell out of the oven, wait 1-2 minutes then use a pastry brush and apply a little frothy egg white to the inside. This will essentially cook the egg white from the heat of the pastry and will seal the crust.

Soggy bottoms

And finally, the most frustrating pastry problem of all – the soggy bottom. This normally happens when the oven is not hot enough or the pastry is not baked for long enough. However, it can also be because too much water was added to the dough.