Chef Jonathon Sawyer tucking puff pastry over the apples in a skillet on the stovetop, the first step of the tarte tatin.
— september recipe

Apple
Tarte Tatin

The upside-down French classic in a skillet: firm tart apples packed tight over butter, sugar, cinnamon, and star anise, capped with puff pastry, baked, flipped, and finished with a salted vanilla anglaise you make in a blender.

serves6
prep20 min
cook30 min

For the tarte

  • 3 firm tart apples
  • 5 tablespoons soft butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 star anise pods
  • 1 lb puff pastry, thawed

Salted vanilla anglaise

  • 10 oz condensed milk
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons white miso
  • Optional: 1 oz bourbon or rum

Method

  1. Prep the apples. Peel, core, and halve the apples. Let them sit out and dry for 10 minutes so they caramelize instead of steaming.
  2. Build the base. Butter an 8 inch ovenproof skillet generously, then sprinkle the sugar over the butter in an even layer. Set the cinnamon stick in the center and a star anise pod on either side.
  3. Pack the apples. Stand the apple halves in the pan upright and tight. They shrink as they cook, so crowd them more than feels right.
  4. Top with pastry. Roll the puff pastry thin and cut a round about 1 inch wider than the pan. Lay it over the apples, tuck the edges down inside the pan, prick it all over with a fork, and cut a vent in the center.
  5. Start it on the stove. Set the skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the butter and sugar bubble up around the edges and turn deep golden.
  6. Bake. Move the skillet to a 375°F convection oven and bake about 30 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden.
  7. Rest and flip. Rest 30 minutes. Set a plate over the top of the skillet and flip it fast and with confidence. Lift the pan away and put back any apples that stayed behind.
  8. Make the anglaise and serve. Blend the condensed milk, heavy cream, vanilla, white miso, and the bourbon or rum if you're using it until smooth. Drizzle over the tarte and serve warm.

This month's card

The September Red Apron recipe card, front: Apple Tarte Tatin ingredients in Chef Sawyer's handwriting.
The September Red Apron recipe card, back: directions in Chef Sawyer's handwriting.
September club sticker: an apple tree, every apple wearing Chef Sawyer's face.
Written by Chef Sawyer and mailed to members this month, sticker included.
— watch chef sawyer make it
this month's playlist

Chef Sawyer's
Fall Folk Mix

Acoustic guitars, pianos, soulful Americana. Emmylou Harris, First Aid Kit, Bob Dylan, Billy Bragg. Put it on, turn it up a little, and let it run while you cook.

listen on spotify

Fall is for folk music and singer-songwriters. Up north, where I live, you feel it the week the leaves start to turn. So this month I wanted acoustic guitars on the playlist. Pianos. Soulful Americana. Songs that sound good with the windows cracked and something in the oven.

The recipe is Apple Tarte Tatin. Apples are the first real sign of the fall season, and this is the dessert that makes the most of them: caramel, butter, pastry, and some chef love. It looks harder than it is. Take your time with the caramel and trust the flip.

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Red Apron Recipe Club mails a printed recipe card, a letter, and a playlist every month.

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