Recipe Match for Sweet White Wine

Tarte Tatin

Recipe courtesy of chef David Myers
  • 12 ounces (slightly more than 3 cups) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 15 ounces cold butter
  • 1 cup ice water
  • 8 Granny Smith apples

1. Sift together the flour, 1 tablespoon sugar and salt. Place in a mixing bowl. Cut 12 ounces of cold butter into pea-sized pieces, and add to the flour.

2. Add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time and mix just until the dough comes together. (This can all be done in a food processor using the pulse bar.) Cover and let rest overnight in the refrigerator.

3. Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. Put in the refrigerator to rest for 1 hour. Place a 10-inch, nonstick, ovenproof sauté pan over the dough and cut all around the outside of the pan, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Set the dough aside. (It does not need to be refrigerated.)

4. Preheat the oven to 375° F.

5. Peel, halve and core the apples. Put the remaining cup of sugar and remaining 3 ounces butter in the sauté pan over high heat. Cook, stirring slowly with a wooden spoon, until the sugar reaches a rich amber color, about 8 minutes. (Stir carefully. The caramel is very hot. Don’t let it get too dark or the caramel will be bitter.)

6. Lower the heat to medium and add the apple halves 3 or 4 at a time, gently coating them in the caramelized sugar. (It may not look like it initially, but all the apple halves will fit.) Be careful not to cause splattering. When all of the apple halves are well-coated, after about 5 minutes, remove the pan from heat.

7. Arrange the apples around the inside of the pan, slightly overlapping. You’ll need 3 or so halves for the middle. Put the pan in the oven for 10 minutes.

8. Remove the pan. Place the pastry over the apples, carefully tucking edges into the pan. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until dough is a dark golden-brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 45 minutes. Place a plate that is larger than the sauté pan over the pan. Quickly flip the pan so that the tarte is on the plate. Remove the pan and serve. Serves 8 to 10.

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