Upside-Down Apple Tart
Submitted by Marie
Upside-down apple tart with caramelized Golden Delicious apples on a flaky cake-flour crust, finished with a brown sugar yogurt drizzle. A lighter take on classic tarte Tatin.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
25 minREADY
40 minTarte Tatin without the guilt trip. This upside-down apple tart leans on Golden Delicious wedges caramelized in a skillet of golden sugar, then capped with a tender cake-flour crust and flipped onto a platter so the glossy fruit comes out on top. A cool drizzle of brown sugar, vanilla yogurt, and sour cream takes the place of heavy cream, which is why this dessert is shockingly light for what it tastes like.
The caramel is where this lives or dies. Sprinkle sugar evenly across a heavy skillet and let it melt without stirring until you see the edges go amber. Once the apples hit the pan, they soak up that toffee-bitter caramel while softening. The crust goes on raw, tucked around the apples, then bakes into a flaky golden lid that crisps up against the bubbling fruit.
Flip while still warm. Wait too long and the caramel sets like glass, glueing the tart to the skillet.
Pro Tips
- Wrap the skillet handle in foil before caramelizing. The pan goes from stovetop to a 425°F (220°C) oven, and the handle gets blistering.
- Caramelized sugar can go from amber to burnt in seconds. Pull it off heat the moment it turns deep gold.
- Use a firm apple like Golden Delicious or Honeycrisp. Soft varieties like McIntosh turn to mush.
- Cut steam slits in the crust so the top stays crisp instead of soggy from trapped moisture.
- Loosen the edges with a knife before inverting, then flip in one confident motion onto a platter.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
CRUST Combine flour and 2 tablespoons sugar in a bowl; cut in margarine with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Sprinkle ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, over surface; toss with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened and mixture is crumbly. (Do not form a ball)
Press mixture into a 4 inch circle on heavy duty plastic wrap, and chill 15 minutes. Roll dough, still covered, to an 11 inch circle. Place in freezer 10 minutes or until plastic wrap can be easily removed.
FILLING Combine apples, 1 tablespoon sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl; toss well.
Let stand 15 minutes. Wrap handle of a 10 inch heavy skillet with aluminum foil.
Sprinkle remaining ½ cup sugar in skillet, and place over medium heat.
Caramelize by stirring often until sugar melts and is golden (about 6 minutes).
Add apple mixture, and cook 5 minutes or just until apples are tender, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Remove plastic wrap from dough.
Place dough on top of apples in skillet, gently tucking dough around edge of skillet. Cut slits in dough for steam to escape. Bake at 425℉ (220℃) for 20 minutes or until browned. Invert onto a serving platter.
SAUCE Combine brown sugar, yogurt, and sour cream; stir well. Drizzle over warm tart.
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