Tarte Tartin

Peel, then halve lengthwise and core the apples. As you are working it helps to put the prepared apples in a bowl of water to prevent needless browning.

In a heavy oven proof frying pan about nine to ten inches in diameter, sprinkle the sugar evenly over the base of the pan. Dot with butter. Place the apples on top of the sugar in a single layer, cut side up in a tight circular formation. For the inner ring you may wish to cut the apples into quarters. You will probably not use all the apples straight away. That's OK, as you will slot them in as the apples cook down.

Over medium heat, heat the pan and melt the sugar. As the sugar melts it will combine with the butter to form a nice caramel. While the caramel is forming, the apples will also release juice and shrink a bit in size. Every five minutes or so, you will need to adjust apple formation a bit to prevent them from burning. A great way to move the apples without completely disturbing the formation is to place a smaller pan over the top of the apples. Applying a bit of pressure to the pan with your hand, turn it. The apples underneath will hold to the smaller pan and move along with it.

As the apples cook down, gently push them apart and slip in quarters of the unused apples. Continue cooking until the caramel reduces to almost nothing and is a dark amber color. Depending on the water content of your apples and the heat you are applying this could take up to one hour. Once the caramel is done, remove from heat.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll out the pastry dough into a ring that fits snugly over the apples. The pastry can be a touch larger than the pan as you will get a touch of shrinkage while it cooks. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 30 to 40 minutes until the pastry is lightly browned and crisp.

Remove from the oven and let the pan sit for about 20 to 30 minutes to allow the apples time to cool slightly and soak up any of the remaining caramel. Invert the pan over a large plate and allow the tart to drop onto the plate. Don't wait too long before inverting as the apples will stick to the pan and ruin it all.

Edit

Variation

You can substitute other fruit for the apples such as peeled sliced peaches, slicked bananas etc. For soft fruits like peaches and bananas, you can make the caramel separately in a pan, and then once made, add the raw fruit and top with pastry shell. Bake as you would for the apples. For raw fruits that contain lots of moisture, put a couple of slits into the pastry to allow the extra steam to escape while baking.