Tarte Tatin is the quintessential and very popular French dessert.  It's simply an upside-down apple tart where the apples are first caramelized in butter and baked with a pastry crust on top.  Once baked, the tart is flipped upside-down revealing the lovely layer of apples on top.  TJ's ready-made pie crust makes this one easy (assuming you don't mind peeling!)

The legend of Tarte Tatin is that it was a "happy accident" created by the Tatin sisters who ran a hotel in France in the late 1800's.  One day, one of the Tatin sisters was cooking a traditional tart but was distracted and cooked the apples too long on the stove top ("Oh non! Un désastre!").  Hoping to salvage the dessert, she tossed some dough on top and popped it in the oven.  Once it was cooked, she flipped it over and voilà, her namesake dessert ("Oh la la! Quel surprise!").  Of course, there's plenty of controversy as to whether it's actually true, but it's always fun to have a story behind a dish.

To make Tarte Tatin, you will need a well-seasoned cast iron pan or any other heavy oven-safe pan.  There are even specific pans called Tarte Tatin pans, but you don't need to use one.

Tarte Tatin

Most recipes for Tarte Tatin involve first making a direct caramel in the pan (melting sugar into a caramel).  I don't prefer this method since it's a little tricky and a little dangerous.  My kids are usually nearby and wanting to help, and caramel is extremely hot and sticky making for easy burns.  Instead I melt the butter, add the sugar, layer the apples, and then cook over high heat until the sugar mixture is bubbling and caramelized.  Much easier with the same result! 

7-8 apples (firm apples such as Granny Smiths.  I used Pink Lady apples, a sweet/tart favorite of mine)
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter
1 cup sugar
1 frozen Gourmet Pie Crust, thawed (or use 1 sheet frozen Puff Pastry)
 
1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.) Peel, quarter, and core the apples.  To keep apples from oxidizing (turning brown) while you work, place them in a bowl of water with the juice of a couple of lemons.
3.) In a 10-12-inch cast iron pan (with a metal handle) or other oven-safe pan, melt the butter.  Sprinkle and spread the sugar evenly over the melted butter.  Layer the apple quarters tightly around the pan, nesting them against each other.   Cook on high heat for about 10 minutes.  You will see the sugar-butter mixture bubble and caramelize.
4.) Place the crust over the top of the apples.  Very carefully, making sure not to burn your fingers, tuck in the crust all around the edge.  Pierce the crust a few times.
5.) Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes until the crust is golden. 
6.) Let the tart rest for about 20 minutes.  Run a knife along the edge of the pan to loosen the crust.  Flip tart on to a plate and serve warm with vanilla ice cream or crème fraîche (more traditional).