Fresh Tomato Tarte Tatin Recipe

Tarte tatin is a French upside-down tart that is typically made with apples. Swap the apples for fresh tomatoes cooked in the oven beneath a layer of buttery puff pastry to make this savory variation. Before serving, the baker flips the tart out of the pan to reveal a crown of glistening tomatoes and onions and a crispy, crackly crust.

The tarte tatin gets its name from the Hôtel Tatin, a hotel in the Sologne region of France which was operated by two sisters, Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin, in the 1880s. While the dessert is similar to the tarte solognote, an inverted fruit tart common to the region, there are two origin stories pertaining to the creation of the tarte tatin: According to one legend, hotelier Stéphanie Tatin was in the process of making a traditional apple pie, but accidentally left the apples to caramelize too long in the pan; seeking a quick fix, she tossed the dough on top of the pie filling and finished it all in the oven. The guests, of course, were taken with the mistake. This legend is countered by a slightly different origin story, which suggests that Stéphanie accidentally baked an apple tart upside down and chose to serve it anyway.

Follow these tips to make delicious tomato tarte tatin at home:

1. 1. Use firm tomatoes. Tarte tatin is best with ripe yet firm tomatoes that will hold their shape during baking.
2. 2. Add onions. Tomatoes are sweet and delicious, but they don't caramelize as apples do. To add that caramel dimension to a tomato tart, caramelize a few shallots or red onions and then mix them with the tomatoes.
3. 3. Experiment with different tomatoes. Larger tomatoes and whole cherry tomatoes cut in half and cooked cut-side down make for a beautiful presentation.