Easy Apple Tarte Tartin Recipe (2024)

I wanted to try my hand at a tarte tartin, which is fruit tart usually made with caramelized apples, that is cooked upside down and flipped before serving.

I have to admit, before starting this I was nervous. There were so many unknowns… How long do I cook the apples in the caramel sauce? How do I successfully press down the puffed pastry to make a seal? Will it really flip out of the pan and look somewhat like all the photos I see on the Internet?

And guess what… It worked (pretty much)! I can’t tell you how excited I was yesterday when I was tasting my very first homemade tarte tartin… so fruity and carmely!

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Quarter apples and core them. You can see my apples are already browning. Toss them in a tablespoon of lemon juice to stop them from browning and to give them a little extra tartness.

Roll out the pastry dough. I used a 10 inch plate to cut out the top to my tarte.

In a cast iron skillet (or other oven safe pan), melt 1/4 cup of butter over medium heat. As soon as it is melted, stir in 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Keep stirring until it starts to thicken and turns light brown.

Add the apples to the pan in a flower shape. I made a few smaller slices to place in the middle. Cook for 15 minutes until the apples are soft.

Remove from heat and carefully cover with pastry dough. I used the end of a fork to press down the edges around the apples, an improvisation that actually worked. Poke some steam holes in the dough.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until the puff pastry is nicely browned. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes.

Hold the plate over the skillet, and with oven mitts on, carefully turn it over. A few of the apples stuck to the pan so I used a spatula to get them off and place them on the tarte. But I’m still impressed with how it turned out and I seriously wish you could have tasted it!