Session 204 — Tarte Tatin
← Block 47–48: Pastry — Doughs & Custards Overview
Skill: Dry-heat caramelization in a pan; fruit arrangement; inverted bake Read first: Tarte Tatin
What you're learning: Tarte Tatin is an upside-down apple tart — apples cooked in caramelized butter and sugar in a cast iron skillet, then tart dough pressed over the top and baked, then flipped. The caramel soaks into the apples and glazes the finished tart on top. Timing the inversion is the scary part — too soon and it's liquid chaos; too late and the caramel hardens.
Full Meal: Tarte Tatin with crème fraîche after a pan-seared pork chop or simple omelet — the tart is your reward for eating your vegetables
🎥 Compare Notes: Foolproof Tarte Tatin & Rough Puff Pastry (Claire Saffitz) — Note how far she lets the caramel darken before adding the apples, and her confidence at the inversion step — that's the point most people flinch.