Sweet & Savory Autumn Tarte Tatin

butternut & acorn squash tarte tatin, bacon, goat cheese, hazelnut, sage
Sweet & Savory Autumn Tarte Tatin

Butternut and Acorn Squash
Bacon, Maple, Hazelnut, Goat Cheese, Sage

I have a feeling I’m going to get more requests to make the Sweet & Savory Autumn Tarte Tatin this season. With its nutty, tangy, and sucré flavors, the smoky aromas, rich earthy colors, and crispy, creamy, flaky textures ~ the famous inverted French pie originally made with apples back in the late 1800’s ~ is heart and soul of the inspiration for this recipe.

Butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup are intensified and caramelized at the bottom of the cast iron pan while the pastry on top remains dry, light and crisp. Stephanie Tatin’s inadvertent “mistake” in cooking an apple pie up-side-down has become a part of culinary history and its method copied in various forms over the years. Sometimes sweet, sometimes savory ~ here I present a delightful Autumn tarte that is both…

The 5 Star Makeover Cooking Group hosted by Natasha the 5 Star Foodie & Lazaro of Lazaro Cooks! is an outstanding monthly event for sharing ideas and creating gourmet makeovers of selected classic dishes or flavor combinations. Event hosts Laz and Natasha sagely chose SQUASH for our October Makeover. Friends in our Cooking Group have created dishes from starters, soups, and sides to desserts, and even ceviche ~ that use the vegetable in super-creative ways. Along with butternut and acorn, we’ll see delicata, turban, zucchini, pumpkin, spaghetti squash and more. A very talented group. The seasonal squash collection is now posted here.

In addition to the Autumn Tarte Tatin, I made a surprisingly delicious Southern Greens Pasta in a Roasted Squash Bowl with extra butternut squash left over from the tarte. Mustard Greens, Turnip Greens, Collards, and Spinach are simmered in Chicken Broth with Black Forest Bacon, Onion, Garlic, Red Chile Flakes, Apple Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil then tossed with Fusillata Casareccia (open s-shape twist pasta). That recipe was posted yesterday here.

Sweet & Savory Autumn Tarte Tatin Recipe

savory autumn tarte tatin recipe

how to roast squash
Cut butternut and acorn squash into cubes. Toss with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Roast in a 400° oven in a single layer for about 20 – 25 minutes until al dente.

black forest bacon tarte tatin
Trim fat from 4 slices of smoked bacon then cut into bite-sized pieces. Sauté in a small amount of olive oil until cooked but not crisp. Drain on paper towels. In a cast iron pan, heat 1/4 c. butter with 2 T. maple syrup and 2 T. dark brown sugar. When the butter starts to bubble, stir in the bacon.

butternut & acorn squash TARTE TATIN w/ bacon, goat cheese, hazelnut, sage
Add squash to the pan and stir to coat. Add fresh thyme sprigs.

how to toast hazelnuts
Meanwhile, toast hazelnuts in a dry skillet. Rub the skins off the nuts with a kitchen towel. Chop the nuts into small pieces then sprinkle over the squash mixture.

how to cook puff pastry tarte tatin
Cut puff pastry dough into a circle slightly larger than the circumference of the pan. Lay the dough over the squash mixture and tuck the sides in around the edges. Pierce four steam holes in the dough. Bake at 400° until the pastry has risen and is golden brown, about 25 – 30 minutes.

how to fry sage leaves butter
While the Tarte Tatin is baking, fry whole sage leaves in butter until crisp, about one minute. Reserve on paper towels.

how to flip tarte tatin
When the pastry is golden brown, remove the pan from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Place a wide shallow serving platter over the pan.

invert tarte tatin
Invert the Tarte Tatin onto the platter, carefully lifting off the pan.

aged goat cheese image
Immediately top the Tarte Tatin with crumbled aged goat cheese so it begins to melt. (We like tangy Spanish Cana de Cabra).

turkey collection
Finally, top the tarte with fried sage leaves.

 sweet & savory autumn tarte tatin, squash pie, squash tart recipe

Note: A vegetarian version can easily omit the bacon.

butternut & acorn squash TARTE TATIN w/ bacon, goat cheese, hazelnut, sage
Be sure to serve it right away ~ while the sweet aromas of Autumn waft from the tarte, and the sage is crispy, the cheese is melting, the pastry is light and flaky…

35 thoughts on “Sweet & Savory Autumn Tarte Tatin”

  1. Truly stunning, LL! I love the flavors you have in there. A while ago I made a savory Belgian endive tarte tatin and I think this might be my next savory tarte tatin adventure — it would be a lovely addition to Thanksgiving dinner!

  2. I’m somewhat awestruck at how evenly those cubes are cut, let alone how delicious the end result must taste. Thanks for yet another nutritious and user-friendly recipe, LL.

  3. This is one of THE most creative recipes I have ever seen that I actually want to MAKE! I am obsessed with Tarte Tatin and I never thought to make a savory vegetable version! You’re brilliant! I love it!

    1. Thank you so much FH ~ although I cannot take the credit for creating a savory tarte tatin, but I do take credit for this one recipe. Savory tartes are my favorites…
      Please let me know if you make this!
      LL

  4. I am hopelessly in love with this! I want it now with a glass of crisp Albariño. 🙂

    I’ve never made a tarte tatin and now that’s all I can think of so I’m glad this is one where you posted explicit instructions because it’s not particularly in my wheelhouse. I am bookmarking and sharing with friends and family.

  5. holy heck, i’m nearly jumping out of my seat with this one!! what a great great recipe 🙂 you’d better believe i’m giving this one a try!

  6. I love love love this recipe! Can’t wait to try it! Heather and Matt will be down Sat. So excited to celebrate with them!

  7. I made this tonight and it tasted incredible. Many distinct tastes and different textures that varied with each bite. Really wonderful.

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