Bastille Day 1991 is a day our executive pastry chef Markus Bohr will never forget. Not for the occasion, but for the dessert he served at the French Embassy in Bangkok: the world’s finest tarte Tatin, made following a recipe he was taught by award-winning French chef Georges Blanc’s pastry chef. Twenty years later, you’ll find the very same dessert – all perfectly golden and caramelised – on our patisserie counter. And for those who can’t visit us in-store, Markus has shared his much-loved recipe below. Vive la tarte Tatin!
The Perfect Tarte Tatin
7 Pink Lady apples
110g butter, diced
130g caster sugar
120g puff pastry
Preheat your oven to 170°C.
Peel the apples, slice in half and remove the core. If you have time, leave overnight on a clean tea towel to dry out.
Heat the butter and sugar over a medium heat to form a brown caramel. Pour into a 20cm oven-proof non-stick pan. A Tatin dish is ideal.
Arrange the apple halves in the dish, making sure they’re positioned on their sides and packed in tightly, with two sides in the middle.
Roll out the puff pastry until it’s 3–4mm thick. Prick it all over with a fork, lay it over the apples, then tuck in the edges.
Bake in the oven for 60–70 mins. Gently press the pastry down to help reduce some of the juices inside, then bake for another 25 mins.
Once cooked, place a wire rack over the tart and – using oven gloves – carefully hold the two together and tilt sideways to drain the juices out into a bowl to use later in a sauce. Set the tart aside to cool.
Place a plate, slightly larger than the pan, on top and then, very carefully, using oven gloves, invert the tart on to the plate.
Serve with apple sauce (reduce the reserved tart juices in a pan until glossy) and whipped Calvados crème fraîche or ice cream.
