As much as I appreciate easy things when it comes to cooking and baking, I love something tedious just as much. Maybe it’s because it creates a connection to the past, a time when there was no such things as short-cuts or convenience foods in the kitchen. Or maybe it’s that sense of accomplishment that comes from making it to end of a long, drawn-out recipe or process. In any case, I like to throw myself a few tedious kitchen tasks every now and then to hone my skills and practice the subtle art of patience.
This recipe started with a vegan rough puff pastry experiment a couple of months ago. After it worked successfully I took some time to figure out what I wanted to make with it to share here. And eventually, I settled on a tarte Tatin. The history of this quintessential French pastry begins in the late 19th century at a hotel in the small village of Lamotte-Beuvron in central France. The Hôtel Tatin was run by two sisters, Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin. Stéphanie ran the kitchen and as the story goes, she got distracted one day while cooking a pan of apples. She smelled the sugars beginning to burn and in a panic, she topped the apples with some pastry dough and put the entire pan in the oven to bake in order to salvage her mistake. After removing her creation from the oven, she inverted it onto a plate, and well, the rest is history!
The tarte Tatin is basically a caramel apple tart that is cooked in a similar manner to an upside down cake (i.e. after it is cooked it is inverted). The caramel is made first in the pan, then apples are added and cooked down in the caramel. The final step is to top the cooked caramel apples with a layer of either puff pastry or tart/pie dough before baking it in the oven. Before serving, the tarte is inverted. It’s actually a rather simple process involving minimal ingredients.
Mine is obviously not quite traditional as it’s made with vegan butter and coconut sugar but it tastes delicious nonetheless. I decided to throw some locally grown bay leaves in there, too and they provide a nice herbal spice but they can totally be left out. A word of caution when making this: it is best enjoyed right after it is made as the caramel has a tendency to seep down into the crust and make it soggy. So, plan on serving it up right after you invert it! Also, you absolutely do not need to go to the effort of making vegan rough puff pastry. You can use your favorite pie crust or a store-bought pie crust or puff pastry!
Vegan Green Apple Tarte Tatin with Bay Laurel
- Total Time: 70-75 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
Description
A not-so-traditional tarte Tatin made with vegan butter, coconut sugar, and locally grown bay leaves. Serve the tarte as-is or with a dollop of freshly whipped cream or ice cream.
Ingredients
- 1 batch of vegan rough puff pastry, or, a single pie or tart crust
- 4 large tart green apples (such as Granny Smith) sliced into half-inch wedges or rounds
- 4 tbsp (57g) vegan stick butter, plus a bit extra for your pie dish
- 1 cup (145g) coconut sugar
- pinch of sea salt
- 2 bay leaves (optional)
- 2–3 tbsp water
- whipped cream or ice cream to serve, optional
Instructions
Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease a standard pie dish with vegan butter. Roll your chosen dough into a round that is at least as big as your dish. Don’t worry if it’s bigger than your dish because we’ll be tucking the excess under when we assemble. Place the rolled out dough on a sheet of parchment and set it in the fridge to chill. You want it nice and cold before it tops the apples!
Prepare the apples: Rinse the apples well and remove the stem. Cut each apple into either 1/2-inch rounds or wedges. If you cut the apples into rounds, make sure to remove the seeds. Set the apples aside. It’s okay if they begin to brown because we’ll be cooking them in caramel.
In a large skillet set over medium heat, add the butter and bay leaves. Once the butter melts, add the coconut sugar and 2 tbsp of water. Cook this mixture, stirring gently until the caramel becomes smooth and thick and begins to bubble. This will take about 5 minutes. If the mixture looks dry or like it’s separating, add an additional tbsp of water.
Add the apples to the caramel and cook, stirring gently, for 10-15 minutes or until the apples have softened. A good indicator with green apples that they are ready is that the skin has faded from bright green to a light, yellowish-green. Allow the apples and caramel to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes.
Arrange the apples in your pie dish then pour any remaining caramel over them. Top with your chilled dough, tucking under any excess that hangs over the edge of the dish. Cut a couple of slits in the middle to allow for steam to escape.
Bake the tarte for 30-35 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Cool 10-15 minutes once you remove the tarte from the oven. Carefully invert the tarte onto a plate or platter then serve! It’s particularly delicious with a dollop of cream or ice cream.
Notes
My tarte looks incredibly dark in the photos which is simply due to the darkness of coconut sugar (i.e. it’s not burnt!). I highly recommend using a tart apple because they pair really well with the caramel. And, as I mentioned above, you can use any pie or tart crust you like, or even store-bought puff pastry. I made a vegan rough puff pastry which is linked in the ingredients. And lastly, I sliced my apples into rounds because I love seeing the star shape in the middle but you can just as easily cut your apples into wedges.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60-65 minutes
