What French upside-down caramelized apple tart is named after the Tatin sisters? The answer is tarte Tatin.
Tarte Tatin is made by caramelizing apples in butter and sugar, covering them with pastry, baking the tart, and then turning it out so the fruit sits on top. It originated at the Hôtel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron, in France’s Loir-et-Cher department, and is associated with sisters Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin.
A popular story says Stéphanie accidentally left apples cooking too long, placed pastry over them, and finished the tart in the oven. Historians caution that this “accidental invention” story is only one tradition. Upside-down fruit tarts existed earlier, including preparations described by the French pastry chef Antonin Carême in 1841.
The sisters did not publish a cookbook or officially call the dessert tarte Tatin. The name and fame were attached to the dish later by culinary writers and restaurants. Apples are traditional, but pears, quinces, peaches, pineapple, tomatoes, and onions can also be used in variations.