Apple Tatin – Apple Shaped Version
Do you love a good apple dessert? If so you have to try this apple tatin! This is a whipped vanilla ganache that is filled with a caramelized apple filling, pate brisee pie dough, and decorated to look like a red apple. Once you slice into the apple you will find a surprise inside.
This recipe was my first version of an entremet I made at home. It actually was inspired by a trip to Paris that my husband and I did back in December 2018. We visited a fantastic bakery near the Seine river that sold elegant and sophisticated desserts.
My husband really enjoyed their apple-shaped dessert, and he did so much that we went back to have it another time. I would have never expected then that I was going to be able to make such a dessert, ever, like, it never crossed my mind!
So once I had the right skills and knew the process on how to make it I tried it without hesitation! I hope that this recipe brings you as much joy as it does to me, it is for sure very special!
A traditional tarte tatin is an upside down apple tart, where the apples are cooked on the stove, and topped with a caramelized sugar. Then it is paired with a pastry dough. This apple tatin is a modern twist to the original version and is made with a velvety ganache and caramelized apples.
Table of Contents
Ingredients For Apple Tatin
- Apples
- Light Brown Sugar
- Unsalted Butter
- Vanilla Bean
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Flour
- Heavy Cream
- Inverted Sugar
- White Chocolate
- Gelatin Sheets
Caramelized Apple
Start by cutting your vanilla bean in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds.
Then you will wash and cut the apples into uniform pieces, as directed.
Cook the apples on low heat to help remove some of the water in the saucepan. Then in a different pot caramelize the brown sugar.
Once the sugar is caramelized add the apples, butter, salt, and vanilla seeds with the spices.
Cook on low, until the mixture thickens.
You want to place the apples in a 2 inch diameter hemisphere silicone mold, and freeze overnight.
Once set, remove from the molds.
Vanilla Bean Whipped Ganache
Bloom your gelatin, and follow the directions on how to do so.
Then chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl.
Then add the vanilla bean in the mixture and the vanilla seeds in the pod in the saucepan with heavy cream.
Bring the heavy cream to a light boil, and remove and allow it to steep with the vanilla for 15-30 minutes.
Then remove the vanilla and add in the inverted sugar, salt, and bring to a boil.
Add in the chocolate and let it sit a bit. Then mix to combine.
Add in the gelatin and mix again to incorporate. Then you will cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Once ready, remove from the fridge and whip in a stand mixer.
Pate Brisee – Pie Dough
To make the dough you will preheat the oven and then dice up the butter.
In a stand mixer, you will use the fitted paddle. Add in the flour, salt, and butter. Mix to create a dough with pea sized chunks of cold butter.
Then slowly mix in the water, mix until just the dough comes together, don’t overmix.
Place dough on a floured surface. Then with the lower part of the hand push the dough against the counter, this is called the fraisage process.
Separate the dough into 4 even balls and flat into discs. Cover and refrigerate.
Roll the dough to ⅛th of an inch, use a cookie cutter the size the bottom of the apple to cut the dough
Place the cut dough disc on the tray and bake as directed.
Chocolate Couverture
Melt the chocolate with cocoa butter in a double boiler. Add in the color and mix, use a hand mixer if needed.
You can add in the vanilla bean if you want or you can skip this step.
How to Assemble Apples
Pipe the white ganache in the apple molds, and use a spatula to spread to the sides.
Place the frozen apples inside the mold.
Top with the rest of the ganache and smooth over the top.
Freeze your molds again to make sure it is set to remove from the mold.
Melt your chocolate and then dip your apples once you remove from the mold.
Top with the stem, and then place the apple on the pate brisee and allow the apples to thaw in the fridge for 1-4hr.
Then slice and serve up this decadent apple and white chocolate dessert.
What is the origin of Tarte Tatin?
The origin comes from the French in a railway hotel. This delicious tarte tatin has then taken over the world and variations have been created.
What is the best chocolate to use in the dessert?
So for me, I like to use Callebaut, Valrhona, or Cacao Barry, these are all anywhere from 28-35%. You will find that quality chocolate is key as it is going to be one of the big flavors that stands out next to the apples.
Should Apple Tatin be served hot or cold?
This apple tatin needs to be served chilled as it is made with a whipped ganache. If you allow room temperature you will find it will break down. So for best quality remove it from the fridge and serve and enjoy right after. You can always add a hot caramel sauce to provide a difference in temperatures, which will enhance the flavors and make the process more enjoyable.
Related Recipes
Recipe
Apple Tatin Tart
Ingredients
Caramelized Apple insert:
- 150 g apples cut in brunoise (⅛in dices)
- 70 g light brown sugar
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 1 vanilla bean pod
- Cinnamon cloves and all spices, to taste
- Pinch of salt
Vanilla bean whipped ganache recipe
- 500 g heavy cream
- 50 g inverted sugar
- 2-3 vanilla beans
- Pinch of salt
- 130 g high quality white chocolate I recommend brands like Callebaut (CW2 white, 28%), Valrhona (Ivoire 35%) and Cacao Barry (Blanc Satin, 30%)
- 4 gelatin sheets bloomed in cold water.
Pate brisee (pie dough) recipe – flaky tart dough
- 225 g all-purpose flour
- 112 g butter cut into 1-inch pieces, cold
- 4 g Kosher salt
- 60-85 g ice cold water
Chocolate couverture:
- 200 g white chocolate
- 200 g cocoa butter
- 1 vanilla bean optional
- Red food coloring oil based
Instructions
Caramelized Apple insert:
- Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise using a paring knife, remove the seeds. Wash and cut the apples in brunoise (small, uniformed dices).
- Cook the brunoise apple in low heat to partially remove water content in a saucepan. In a different pot, caramelize the brown sugar.
- Once the sugar is caramelized, add the apples, butter, salt, vanilla seeds, and spices.
- Keep cooking on low heat until the ingredients are well incorporated, and the mixture thickens.
- Place the caramelized apples into small 2in diameter hemisphere silicone molds (Pavoni FR039) . Let cool and freeze, ideally overnight.
- Once set, remove from the mold and combine two to form the sphere, which is the apple insert.
Vanilla bean whipped ganache recipe
- Bloom gelatin by placing in a bowl containing at least 6 times the weight of gelatin sheets in cold water.
- Chop the chocolate in small pieces, place in a heatproof bowl.
- Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise using a paring knife, remove the seeds. Place the seeds and the pod in a saucepan containing the heavy cream.
- Heat the heavy cream to a light boil. Remove from the heat and let steep for 15-30min. Remove the vanilla bean pod, add the inverted sugar and salt, heat until it begins to gently boil
- Pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 30-60s, do not disturb.-Stir gently with a spatula first then emulsify with a hand blender.
- Squeeze water from the gelatin, add to the chocolate mixture and mix with the hand blender. Avoid making too many bubbles.
- Cover with plastic wrap, let cool to room temperature and place in the fridge for at least 8hr to set. Best to do overnight.
- Remove from the fridge and place in the bowl of a stand mixer, whip with a whisk attachment, do this at a low setting until smooth and fluffy, be careful to no overwhip or the ganache could break.
Pate brisee (pie dough) recipe – flakytart dough
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Cut the butter into small uniform pieces (1 inch). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, add flour, salt and cold butter. Mix butter into flour on low speed until the butter is pea sized.
- Slowly add the cold water, do not add it all but do until the dough comes together at this point stop mixing.
- Add flour to the table and form a ball with the dough, using a knife or bench scraper divide it into 8 pieces.
- Using the lower part of the hand, push each portioned dough against the kitchen counter (this process is called fraisage)
- Place up to 4 doughs on top of each other and carefully combine them to form a ball (do not knead or over work the dough). Cover with plastic film and let rest in the fridge.
- Roll the dough to ¼in on a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin.
- Cut the dough using a cookie cutter slightly bigger than the size of the bottom of the apple, check the size by comparing with the mold, the bottom of the apple will be the top of the mold.
- Place the cut dough discs in a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Place another sheet of parchment on top and another sheet tray to weight down the dough while baking. Bake for 15-20min, or until golden brown.
Chocolate couverture:
- Melt white chocolate and cocoa butter in a double boiler, add coloring and mix well with a hand blender. Optional: add vanilla bean seeds to provide specks to make the apple look more realistic.
- Keep warm until use. The mixture can be reheated in the microwave by short burst of 30s until completely melted.
Assembly:
- Pipe whipped ganache (after overnight resting) ⅔ of the way in the apple molds. Use a spatula to push against the walls.
- Place the frozen apple insert.
- Add more ganache and smooth the top with a spatula. Freeze the mold for at least 8hr, better overnight.
- Remove the apple from the mold and dip immediately into the chocolate couverture mixture, which should be between 90-95F. Use a deep container to fit the apple properly and use a wooden skewer stick to dip the apple.
- I recommend removing each apple individually from the mold and place the mold back in the freezer, the temperature is very important, as if the apples remain outside too long after removing from the mold there will be condensation building up and the coating with the chocolate won’t be effective.
- Remove the chocolate excess from the bottom of the apple by gently patting it against a flat surface, like a silicone mat.
- Place the apple immediately on the pate brisee. Add a chocolate stem made with either tempered chocolate or candy melts in the hole made with the skewer.
- Place in the fridge to thaw for 2-4hr before serving.
