Classic Tarte Tatin In A Cast Iron Skillet Food

TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add the sugar to a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Cook gently, swirling often until the sugar melts and becomes golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.
• Peel, core and halve the apples. Begin arranging the apple halves in a circular shape around the border of the skillet, standing them on the core ends. Fill the center part of the skillet with a smaller circle of the apples. Fill in any gaps with the smaller top and bottom pieces. Because the fruit will shrink considerably as it cooks, it is better to crowd the pan with fruit.
• Place the skillet back on the stovetop on a fairly high heat and cook until the fruit starts to become tender and soak up the caramel at the bottom, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat again and rotate each apple piece halfway so the tops of the fruit are now sitting in the caramel on the bottom. Return the skillet to the heat and cook for an additional 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.
• Roll the puff pastry dough on a lightly floured surface so it's larger than the skillet by 1 inch. Gently drape it over the skillet. Tuck the dough edges loosely inside the skillet so it covers the fruit (as if you are tucking the fruit into a pastry bed).
• Bake until bubbly around the edges, golden brown and delicious, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and cool 5 to 10 minutes. Then, scoop and spoon onto plates. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

CLASSIC TARTE TATIN IN A CAST-IRON SKILLET

Steps:

• To make the dough in a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and shortening and pulse until reduced to ½ inch pieces. Add the water a little at a time and pulse until the dough just begins to come together in a rough mass.
• To make the dough by hand, combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and shortening and toss to coat with the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the pieces of fat into the flour mixture until they are no larger than small peas. Distribute the water over the mixture and toss with a fork until the dough is evenly moist and begins to come together in a rough mass.
• Transfer the dough to a work surface and shape into a 5-inch disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.
• Lightly dust a work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll out the chilled dough into a 12-inch round a scant ¼ inch think. Lift and turn the dough several times as you roll to prevent s sticking, and dust the surface and rolling pin with additional flour as needed. Use a dough scraper or icing spatula to loosen the pastry if it sticks. Trim this dough into an 11-inch round. Slide a rimless baking sheet under the dough, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees.
• To make the filling, set a 10-inch straight-sided, ovenproof fry pan, preferably cast iron, over medium heat and melt the butter. When it melts, sprinkle the sugar evenly over the butter and continue cooking until the sugar melts and turns amber colored, 3 to 4 minutes. Shake and swirl the pan frequently to redistribute the sugar for even melting and caramelization.
• Arrange the apples, side up, in the caramel in a snug, even layer. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the apples are just tender about 15 minutes. The caramel will bubble up around the apples. Remove the pan from the heat.
• Uncover the pastry round. When the bubbling has subsided, slide both hands under the pastry round and carefully place it on top of the apples, tucking in the edges and being careful not to burn your fingers. Bake until the crust is golden brown. About 30 minutes.
• Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 6 minutes. Place a large flat serving plate upside down on top of the pan and invert the pan and plate together. Lift off the pan. Slice and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
• ***It's really not essential to take this apple creation from your skillet - serve it from your cast iron and you'll feel authentic. Kinda romantic to be so casual about something so yummy.

TARTE TATIN -- EASY VERSION

Steps:

• Mix sugar and melted butter and press evenly into greased 8" or 9" round cake pan.
• Put apples on their sides in rows decoratively around pan, packing closely together and filling small spaces with broken segments of apples.
• Sprinkle tops of apples lightly with cinnamon if desired.
• Bake uncovered at 425F about 1-1 ½ hours.
• If apples start to burn, they can be covered toward the end of the baking time.
• Meanwhile, unfold pastry sheet and cut to fit pan. Use another pan to trace shape if necessary.
• Poke fork holes into both sides of puff pastry sheet to allow air to escape while baking.
• Press pastry on top of baked apples, pushing edges down. Bake another 20 minutes.
• Cool partially, then invert to a platter. Serve warm.

TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Roll pastry sheet into a 101/2-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.
• Spread butter thickly on bottom and side of skillet and pour sugar evenly over bottom. 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. (Don't worry if juices color unevenly.)
• 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. Replace any apples that stick to skillet. (Don't worry if there are black spots; they won't affect the flavor of the tart.) Brush any excess caramel from skillet over apples. Serve immediately.

CLASSIC TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• On a lightly floured surface, and using a floured rolling pin, roll puff pastry into a 10 1/2 inch square. Brush off excess flour. Using a plate as a guide, cut a 10-inch round. Tranfer pastry round to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, coat bottom and sides of a 10-inch skillet with 4 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle sugar evenly over bottom. Arrange apple slices closely together in concentric circles in skillet, with rounded sides down. Place over medium-high heat, and cook without stirring, until juices are deep golden and bubbling, 18-20 minutes.
• Line oven rack with foil to catch any juice, and place skillet on foil. Bake for 20 minutes (apples will settle slightly). Remove from oven and place pastry round over apples, bake until pastry is dark golden brown 23-28 minutes. let cool in skillet on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.
• Invert tart on a serving dish. Gently remove any apples that may stick to skillet, and place on tart. Serve with Crème Fraîche.