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New ZealandFlavors · Lamotte-Beuvron
Apple tart caramelized in butter and sugar, baked with the pastry on top and flipped when served. It’s named for the Tatin sisters, who ran a hotel opposite the Lamotte-Beuvron station in the late 19th century.
Traditional sweet from Lamotte-Beuvron, Centro-Vale do Loire
Also known as: tarte des demoiselles Tatin, torta Tatin
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Tarte Tatin — Lamotte-Beuvron, France
Tarte Tatin is an upside-down tart. Apples cut into quarters are arranged in a pan with butter and sugar and cooked until the sugar turns to caramel. A disc of pastry is placed on top, and the tart is baked. After baking, it is turned onto a plate: the pastry ends up underneath and the apples, shiny with caramel, on top.
The tart is named for Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin, sisters from Lamotte-Beuvron in the Sologne. They ran a hotel opposite the town’s station in the late 19th century. A reference to Mademoiselle Tatin’s tart appears in a 1899 newspaper article.
The most repeated story says the tart was born from a mistake: one sister reportedly forgot the pastry or dropped the tart and decided to serve it upside down. Historians consider this version a legend, popularized in the 1920s by food publications and the critic Curnonsky. Older recipes for apples cooked in butter already existed; the innovation was placing the pastry on top.
In Lamotte-Beuvron, a brotherhood and an association of tart ambassadors, created in 2015, defend the recipe and its local origin.
Lamotte-Beuvron , Centro-Vale do Loire
The tart is named for the Tatin sisters, who ran a hotel opposite the town’s station in the late 19th century.
Firm apples (traditionally reinette); butter; sugar; pastry (shortcrust or puff).
Warm, just after being unmolded, sometimes served with fresh cream or vanilla ice cream.
All year round, especially in autumn and winter, from September to February, during apple season.
Your questions
That is the most told story, but historians regard it as a legend, popularized in the 1920s. The tart is named for the Tatin sisters, who had a hotel in Lamotte-Beuvron.
Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin, who ran the family hotel opposite the Lamotte-Beuvron station in the Sologne in the late 19th century.
Firm apples that do not fall apart in the caramel. The old recipe recommended reinette.
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