Tarte Tatin

The () is a tart in which the fruit (usually apples) is caramelized in butter and sugar before the tart is baked. Named after the Tatin sisters who invented it and served it in their hotel as its signature dish, it originated in France but has spread to other countries over time.

Savoury versions are also made.

History

A popular myth tells the was created accidentally at the in , south of Paris, in the 1880s. The hotel was run by two sisters, Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin. There are several myths concerning the tart's origin, but the most common is that Stéphanie Tatin, who did most of the cooking, was overworked one day. She started to make a traditional apple pie but left the apples cooking in butter and sugar for too long. Smelling the burning, she tried to rescue the dish by putting the pastry base on top of the pan of apples and quickly finishing the cooking by putting the whole pan in the oven. After turning out the upside-down tart, she was surprised to find how much the hotel guests appreciated the dessert. In an alternative version of the tart's origin, Stéphanie baked a caramelized apple tart upside-down by mistake: regardless, she served her guests the unusual dish. A manuscript written by teacher Marie Souchon explains that the recipe was shared to them by the cook of Count Alfred Leblanc de Chatauvillard.. Whatever the veracity of either story, the concept of the upside-down tart was not a new one. For instance, patissier Antonin Carême already mentions glazed (upside-down cakes) adorned with apples from Rouen or other fruit in his (1841).

The tarte became a signature dish of the . Historians and gourmets have argued whether it is a genuine creation of the Demoiselles (Misses) Tatin or the branding of an improved version of the , a traditional dish named after the Sologne region which surrounds Lamotte-Beuvron. Research suggests that while the tarte became a specialty of the Hôtel Tatin, the sisters did not set out to create a "signature dish"; they never wrote a cookbook or published their recipe; they never even called it . That recognition was bestowed upon them by Curnonsky, the French writer and epicure, as well as the Parisian restaurant Maxim's after the sisters' deaths.

One of the legends has it that Louis Vaudable, the owner of Maxim's, once tasted it and was smitten. As he described it:

In reality, Vaudable was born in 1902; the sisters retired in 1906 and died in 1911 and 1917, whereas Maxim's was purchased by the Vaudable family in 1932.

Originally, the tarte Tatin was made with two regional apple varieties: (Pippins) and . Over the years, other varieties have tended to displace them, including Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji and Gala.

can also be made with pears, bananas, quinces, peaches, pineapple, tomatoes,Clark, Melissa (12 September 2008). "A Tart That's Sweet, Yet Savory" . The New York Times. or other fruit or vegetables, such as onion. The is traditionally made with puff, but can be made with shortcrust pastry.

Variations Variations of this recipe can also be made as turnovers.

Tarte Tatin

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