A dessert to mark the century:
the "Tarte des Demoiselles Tatin"

In the heart of the rich hunting lands of Sologne, Stéphanie and Caroline Geneviève Tatin established the Hôtel du Pin d’Or in 1894. The sisters' warm hospitality soon gave the hotel the name of Hôtel Tatin. Native hunters came to enjoy creative gastronomy, the Parisian bourgeoisie would escape the city for a mischievous rendez-vous, the in-crowd came to enjoy luxury in an idyllic setting... The Belle Époque was in full swing at Lamotte-Beuvron.

The hotel's reputation spread beyond France's borders: each and every guest sang the praises of the Demoiselles' tireless devotion to their kitchen. Their upside-down apple tart became the latest craze. Influential food critic Curnonsky honoured the recipe in his book on the Orléanais province. As praise continue to flow, a mystery developed around the invention of the dessert. It seemed that the recipe was the result of a mistake, a hurried faux pas in the kitchen. The two chefs kept the secret safe: while they were happy to reveal the ingredients for their "superstar" tart, they never discussed how it was made.

Maxim's, the well-known Parisian restaurant, started to include the famous Tarte Tatin on its dessert menu. To find out exactly how it was made, the rue Royale establishment managed to have the sisters hire an apprentice pastry chef... whose mission was to spy in the kitchens. The young knave was soon discovered by Germaine Marcel, the new manager of the Sologne-area hotel. Greed and the desire for profit did not lead to the code being cracked... Quite the opposite, it was the principle of a job well done that ensured the continued secrecy surrounding the mythical dessert.

The authentic recipe for the Demoiselles Tatin apple tart was passed on only to the successive owners of the hotel. This is how Germaine Marcel learned the recipe, working alongside Caroline Marie Stéphanie Tatin, the last of the Tatins. Once filled with apples, butter and sugar, the copper mould was placed on the "potager" (the predecessor of the cooker). A portable "four de campagne" ("country oven") was then placed on top, without touching the pastry top which covered the ingredients. The tart was literally cooked between two heat sources. For the rest of the preparation instructions... Marie is the only one who can explain that...

Marie Claude Bisson, Germaine's granddaughter, took over the hotel with her husband in the mid-1960s. She inherited the recipe and the "method" from her ancestor. When Marie Claude was forced to sell the business, she took all the historic equipment with her and, in keeping with tradition, continued to make the upside-down tarts in each of the businesses she went on to create. Her valuable know-how is the tart's primary asset still today: the ambitious production of a regional delicacy, made with love, and with the benefit of modern equipment. The Demoiselles tart, an authentic version finally made available to all, will always taste of childhood and apple blossom.