Quick Summary: Heirloom Roma tomatoes caramelized in butter and sugar, topped with puff pastry and flipped for a stunning summer dessert. Using tomatoes as a sweet dessert recipe surprises everyone who tries it. Only 5 ingredients, and even an imperfect flip tastes incredible. Prep: 15 min | Cook: 45 min | Serves: 8
Jump to: | RECIPE | How to Flip a Tarte Tatin | Key 5 Ingredients | Step by Step Directions | FAQ
This dessert surprises everyone. Tomatoes are fruits, after all, and when caramelized in butter and sugar, they become something magical: sweet with a hint of savory, their fresh tomato flavor somehow intact beneath the caramel.
The technique is simpler than it sounds. Spread butter and sugar in a skillet, arrange tomato slices, cook until caramelized, top with puff pastry, bake, and flip.
The flip is the only tricky part, and even imperfect flips taste incredible.
If you’ve never tried a tomato tatin (sometimes written tarte tatin, sometimes just tatin), the concept is the same as the classic French apple version, but using ripe summer tomatoes as your fruit.
I use Opalka tomatoes, an heirloom Roma that’s meaty with few seeds but more flavorful than standard Romas. Any meaty heirloom variety works well here (heritage tomatoes, as they’re called in the UK, are the same thing as heirlooms). Standard Roma tomatoes are fine if that’s what you have, though they’ll have less flavor.
I’ve seen a tomato tarte tatin made with cherry tomatoes, but I don’t think cherry tomatoes would give it the same robust, meaty flavor as the roma type of tomato.
The end result is a unique summer dessert that will make you rethink what tomatoes can do.
How to Flip a Tarte Tatin?
There is really only one thing that is a bit tricky about this dessert, and that is the part where you flip the pan and the tart releases easily and comes out perfect.
I have made this recipe three times so far. Two of the three were perfect, and the one fail was due to making it in a cast iron skillet rather than a stainless steel skillet. The one made in the cast iron skillet tasted great, but the caramelized tomatoes stuck to the bottom so it wasn’t as pretty.
A cast iron skillet is also quite heavy and doesn’t lend itself to easy flipping.
The key is to make sure you have loosened the crust from the sides of the pan, as the caramelization can seep through and make the stick to the pan.
Tips for a clean flip:
- Use a stainless steel pan. Cast iron is heavy and awkward. A lighter stainless steel skillet makes flipping easier.
- Butter the sides of the pan. When spreading the butter in the bottom of the pan, make sure and spread some up the sides so the crust won’t stick.
- Loosen the edges. Run a knife around the sides before flipping. Caramel can seep under the pastry and stick.
- Work confidently. Place a large plate over the skillet, grip the plate and the pan together firmly, and flip in one decisive motion.
- Don’t worry about imperfection. The caramel and pastry hide minor flaws. A few tears in the tomatoes don’t affect the taste.
The 5 Key Ingredients:
The ingredient list is pretty simple: tomatoes, butter, sugar, puff pastry and vanilla.
- Tomatoes: Meaty varieties with few seeds work best. I use Opalka, an heirloom Roma. Standard Romas work but have less flavor. If using slicer tomatoes, cut them thick and if using cherry tomatoes, cut them in half. For help choosing between heirloom varieties based on flavor and meatiness, this guide to heirloom tomato flavor profiles by color breaks down what to expect from each.
- Butter: Room temperature, spread evenly over the bottom of the skillet. This creates the caramel base.
- Sugar: ¾ cup creates the caramel that coats the tomatoes and becomes the glossy topping after flipping. The tarte is sweet. I have not tried it with less sugar, but you could probably cut the sugar down to 1/2 cup.
- Puff pastry: Store-bought, thawed. No rolling needed. Use a 9″ diameter pan on top of the pastry dough to cut the round to size.
- Vanilla: Drizzled over the caramelized tomatoes before adding the pastry. Adds subtle warmth.
- Optional additions: A splash of balsamic vinegar along with the vanilla (before placing the dough on top of the tomatoes) deepens the flavor. Fresh thyme is a nice garnish for afterwards.
How to Make a Tomato Tarte Tatin (Step by Step)
Follow these simple steps for a perfect Tomato Tatin (detailed directions are in the recipe card below):
FAQ
Yes. Blanch briefly in boiling water until skins loosen (30-60 seconds), then plunge into ice water. The skins slip off easily.
Use a stainless steel pan and spread the butter up the sides as well as over the bottom in thick even layers. Loosen edges with a knife before flipping, and tap the top of the upside down pan with a knife before gently lifting it off.
Yes. Any oven-safe 9-inch skillet works. Lighter pans are easier to flip than heavy cast iron, and stainless steel prevents sticking.
Dessert, the caramelization with sugar makes it sweet. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Yes, I have made it 2 days in advance and left out on the counter, covered, for 2 days. It is best, however, if served the same day, as the pastry can get soft if it sits too long. You can caramelize the tomatoes ahead and add the pastry just before baking
Meaty paste tomatoes (Romas, San Marzanos, Opalka) or thick-sliced beefsteaks. Avoid juicy varieties with lots of seeds. For a side-by-side look at how different varieties taste, this breakdown of heirloom tomato varieties can help you pick the right one.
Yes. Standard Roma or San Marzano tomatoes work well because they’re meaty with few seeds. The flavor won’t be quite as complex as with heirloom varieties, but the caramelization and butter do most of the heavy lifting. Avoid juicy slicer tomatoes as they release too much liquid.
Yes. The combination of butter, sugar, and caramelization transforms tomatoes into something genuinely sweet. Tomatoes are technically a fruit, and their natural acidity balances the caramel beautifully. Most people who try it for the first time are surprised at how well it works as a dessert. It also doubles as a striking appetizer or side dish if you reduce the sugar slightly.
No. The puff pastry and sugar make this a cheat day treat on the Slow Carb Diet, or a special occasion dessert for anyone eating low carb. It’s worth saving for those moments because the result is spectacular.
A tomato tart is baked upright with the crust on the bottom and tomatoes on top, and is usually more savory. A tarte tatin is baked upside down: the tomatoes caramelize in butter and sugar first, then get topped with pastry and flipped after baking. The tarte tatin method gives you the caramelized layer on top, which is what makes this version special.
Check out this collection of popular tomato recipes for a range of tomato recipes, from fresh salsas to slow cooked stews, to tomato martinis.
Caramelized Tomato Tarte Tatin
Equipment
- lightweight 9" skillet stainless steel is preferred
- Slotted spoon With long handle
- large bowl For ice water
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. meaty tomatoes I used an heirloom Roma called Opalka. Romas work well due to being meaty with few seeds
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter room temperature for spreading
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar optional
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry half of 17.3-oz package, thawed, corners cut to make a rough 9-10-inch round
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme optional, can use any herb for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring large saucepan of water to boil and get a large bowl of ice water ready. With a sharp knife cut a shallow X in the blossom end of each tomato. Gently drop the tomatoes into the boiling water until skins begin to peel back (about 1 minute). Using slotted spoon, transfer blanched tomatoes to bowl of ice water to cool quickly.2 lbs. meaty tomatoes
- Peel tomato skins off (see photo). Cut off end of tomato, slice tomatoes lengthwise into thick slices and remove the hard white core if there is one. Remove most of the seeds with your fingers. It's OK for some seeds to remain.Set aside.
- If the butter is soft enough, spread it over the bottom of a 9” ovenproof skillet as evenly as possible using a pastry brush or your hands. Spread some up the sides of the pan to prevent sticking. Sprinkle 3/4 cups sugar over the butter. Arrange the tomatoes in concentric circles in the skillet, cutting off pieces of tomato here and there to fill in any gaps. Tomatoes should cover the entire skillet.3 Tbsp unsalted butter, 3/4 cup sugar
- Cook about 20-25 minutes over medium heat. The caramel will bubble up around the tomatoes and form a thick amber syrup, about 1/4 inch deep. Watch so that the syrup stays amber colored and doesn't burn.
- Remove skillet from heat and immediately drizzle vanilla and balsamic vinegar (if using) evenly over tomatoes. Top with the pastry round. You can tuck the edges of the pastry in with a knife or just let the pastry lay on top of the tomatoes. Cut a few slits in the pastry with a knife or poke with a fork to let some of the steam out.1 tsp. pure vanilla extract, 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- Place the skillet in the oven and bake until pastry is deep golden brown, about 20 minutes.
- Cool tart in skillet 10 minutes. Cut around sides of skillet to loosen pastry. Place large plate over skillet and holding the sides of the plate firmly onto the skillet fli the tart upside down. The tart will be on the plate, with the pan on top of the tart. Allow tart to settle onto platter. Hit bottom of skillet several times with end of knife to loosen the tart also. Carefully lift off skillet. Rearrange any tomato halves that may have become dislodged.
- Garnish with herbs and serve tart warm or at room temperature.2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
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