Tarte Tatin
Instructions:
- There is nothing better than tarte tatin, but, to be at its
best, it should be made almost at the last minute. The
ideal is to prepare it just before serving the meal and bake
it while you’re eating. Top with Whipped Cream , Vanilla Ice Cream , or Vanilla Custard Sauce
- 6 Granny Smith or other tart, hard apples Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 recipe Sweet Tart Crust
, chilled but not rolled out
- Heat the oven to 400 F.
- Peel, core, and quarter the apples; toss with the lemon juice. Press the butter into the bottom and sides of a heavy ovenproof (cast-iron is good) 10-inch skillet.
- Sprinkle the butter with the sugar. Press the apple quarters into the sugar, arranging them in concentric circles and making certain to pack them in tightly; they will shrink considerably during cooking.
- Put the pan over medium-high heat. Cook until the butter-sugar mixture has turned a very deep, dark brown, 15 to 20 minutes. While it’s cooking, roll out the pastry just a little bigger than the pan. When the apples are ready, remove the pan from the heat. Lay the pastry on top of the apples, bringing the dough to the edges of the pan to seal it. Prick the dough with a fork and bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 20 minutes.
- Remove the tart from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes. Shake the hot pan to loosen the apples stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Invert the whole tart onto a large serving dish, taking care not to burn yourself (the juices are hot). Serve immediately or at room temperature.
- Caramelized Pineapple Tart.
- You have to use fresh pineapple for this; canned won’t do: Substitute slices of pineapple (roughly the size of apple slices) for the apple.