Apple Tarte Tatin

Apple Tarte Tatin is one of those classic French desserts that never go out of style.  When my friend Hamed and Pascale were opening their new French bistro, I was practicing this dessert for the menu.  

I tried various classic recipes, some using puff pastry, some using sable crust, some with gala apples, fuji apples, granny smith, some with butter in the caramel, some without.  I goofed it a bit the first time by not letting it sit for 5 min before flipping it over, some resting too much and the caramel getting too still.  It was a fun ride.

Here is the version I found best.  I tweaked it from an old Gourmet magazine recipe.

• Frozen puff pastry sheet
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 to 9 Granny Smith Apples (3 to 4 pounds), peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cored
• 10-inch oven proof skillet
• 
  

Preheat oven to 425°F.

-Roll pastry sheet into a ten 1/2-inch square on a floured work surface with a floured rolling pin. Brush off excess flour and cut out a 10-inch round with a sharp knife, using a plate as a guide. Transfer round to a baking sheet and chill.

-Melt butter in the skillet and pour sugar until melted and amber caramel 

-Arrange as many apples as will fit vertically on sugar, packing them tightly in concentric circles. Apples will stick up above rim of skillet.

-Cook apples over moderately high heat, undisturbed, until juices are deep golden and bubbling, 18 to 25 minutes. 

-Put skillet in middle of oven over a piece of foil to catch any drips. Bake 20 minutes (apples will settle slightly), then remove from oven and lay pastry round over apples.

-Bake tart until pastry is browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer skillet to a rack and cool at least 10 minutes.

-Just before serving, invert a platter with lip over skillet and, using potholders to hold skillet and plate tightly together, invert tart onto platter. 

-Brush any excess caramel from skillet over apples. Serve immediately.

It still needs some work and I need to revisit again. I want to modernize it by topping it with homemade salted caramel sauce and try to make it so that it can be prepared ahead of time and not serve it right away.  I've since tried it with pears and it's lovely. I also saw a recipe in Donna Hay's cookbook using Quinces.  It's truly one that people love and feel special when you serve it.