Tarte Tatin
By: Sheri Wetherell
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 4:08pm

Ingredients




5 to 6 Golden Delicious apples
Zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
14 ounces puff pastry (approximately)

Preparation

1 Peel and quarter the apples lengthwise, removing the cores, then cut the quarters again in half 2 Toss apples in a bowl with the lemon juice and 1/2 cup sugar; let them rest for about 20 minutes, then drain. 3 For the caramel, heat the butter in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. 4 Once butter is melted combine the remaining sugar 5 Stir with a wooden spoon until the syrup turns a caramel brown (several minutes) 6 Remove from heat and arrange a layer of apple slices in the bottom of the pan (tip: start on the outside edge of the skillet and fan them in a circle towards the center) 7 Add the remaining apples, closing packed, on top 8 Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and place oven rack in the lower middle level 9 Set the skillet back on the stove and cook over medium high heat, pressing the apples down and basting them as they soften 10 Once they begin to soften, cover the skillet and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes more, basting frequently until the juices are thick and syrupy 11 Remove from heat and let cool slightly 12 Roll out the chilled puff pastry dough into a circle about 3/16 of an inch thick and 1 inch larger than the skillet 13 Cut four steam holes 14 Working quickly, fold the dough in half, then in quarters, and center the point over the apples 15 Unfold and press the edges of the dough down between the apples and the inside of the skillet. 16 Bake about 20 minutes until the pastry has browned and crisped. 17 To test if it is done, tilt the skillet and if the juices are runny (rather than a thick syrup), boil down on the stove but take care to not completely evaporate the juices 18 Place the serving dish on top of the skillet and flip over to unmold the tart. Rearrange slices if necessary

About


This recipe is adapted from Julia Child's "The Way To Cook". Granny Smith apples may also be used in place of Golden Delicious. Excellent served with whipped cream, creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream.