Maison Tatin is the original hotel where the recipe for tarte Tatin was first invented. I stayed at the hotel for two nights during the first week of July to prepare for and do my live video for Atout France, which was recorded on July 8. (CLICK HERE to view the video in case you missed it).
I arrived at the tiny Lamotte-Beuvron train station at 9:30am, after taking a 7:07am train from Gare d’Austerlitz in Paris. The hotel was conveniently located just across from the train station. As I was walking toward the hotel, a painted sign on a wall spelled out in bold letters “PAYS DE LA TARTE TATIN”. This is when I realized the tarte Tatin was more significant than I thought.
Originally named Hotel Terminus, because it was next to the railroad station, the hotel was opened in 1830. It was popular with hunters during the fleeting hunting season, which lasts for approximately a month, beginning in September. Two sisters, Caroline and Stephanie Tatin, owned the hotel in the mid-1800s and it became renowned in the area for its restaurant, earning the honor of being selected for first Michelin guide as one of the best restaurants in the Sologne region where it’s located.
The story behind how the tarte Tatin came to be is a bit along the lines of the chocolate chip cookie, somewhat of a culinary mistake that then became history. One busy Sunday in the height of hunting season, the restaurant was packed with hungry, local hunters. One of the sisters started to prepare an apple tart, leaving the apples on the stovetop to cook in butter and sugar. She became distracted with other duties in the restaurant and when she returned to the stove, the apples were overcooked and starting to burn. To save the tart from ruin, she quickly made her crust, putting it on top of the apples. She then baked it, and when it came out of the oven, she flipped it on to a serving platter, and low and behold, the tart Tatin was inaugurated. The original recipe was given to a family member, Fanny Tatin, who passed on the recipe to the subsequent owners.
The hotel was bought by a group of investors in 2019, and significant renovations were done to upgrade the facilities, including the addition of a spa. The reopening was supposed to happen in 2021 but was delayed to May of this year. The owners renamed the hotel Maison Tatin, to make the guests feel more at home than at a hotel.
The outside looked quaint with handsome, new awnings in midnight blue canvas along with a brick and plaster façade. Inside, the newly designed restaurant looked inviting with plush, velvet dining chairs in jewel tone colors, a pink marble fireplace mantle, milk chocolate color banquettes, and a quirky carpet pattern made to look like a wood parquet floor.
My cozy attic room on the third floor had slanted ceilings and a nice view of the weeping willow trees in the garden area behind the hotel. The queen size bed was super comfy, and the air conditioning was so cool, I had to lower the temperature on the thermostat.
That evening I had dinner in the lovely garden in the rear of the hotel under the weeping willow trees. My first course was a refreshing dorade ceviche, dotted with colorful edible flowers, followed by an excellent dish of an updated version of a Shepherd’s but with a much lighter lamb ragout, topped with a thin, crispy layer of a potato crepe. As much as I enjoyed the meal, I was full of anticipation about the grand finale, which I had been dreaming about since I got off the train early that morning. The tarte Tatin was served unadorned but elegantly on a large white plate, with just a whisper of caramel swirled on it. Taking the first bite, the intense, smoky flavor of the caramel and apples titillated my palate and the light, cookie like crust was just the right accompaniment. It also wasn’t too sweet and or sticky like some tart Tatin’s I’ve had in the past. It definitely lived up to its legendary status.
The next day after the video was over, I indulged in another slice of heaven.
Maison Tatin has 14 rooms on three floors (no elevator), and two have wheelchair access. Prices start at a mere 75€ a night for a smaller room.
Next week I will post about the three chateaux I visited in the area.
Maison Tatin
5 rue de Vierzon
41600 Lamotte Beuvron
https://www.lamaisontatin.fr/en/
Tel. +33 2 54 88 00 03
Excellent local red wine
The Star of the Show!
M
y favourite dessert ever!
Posted by: Peter Crymble | August 09, 2021 at 10:08 AM