5 to 6 pounds tart apples (I like Braeburns, Jonathans, Honeycrisp, Jonagold,
or Fujis)
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Pâte Brisée (see the recipe below)
Crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream for serving
Procedure
Peel, halve, and core the apples, being sure to get the stem and flower
ends clean. In a tarte Tatin pan or a 10-inch heavy skillet (cast iron is
good, as long as it's well seasoned), melt the butter, add the sugar and cook
over medium heat until the sugar begins to melt around the edges. Stir gently
with a wooden spoon to help the sugar melt completely and then let the mixture
cook over medium-low heat until it reaches a deep mahogany-colored caramel;
if using a dark pan, be sure to lift some caramel out with a spoon to check
the color. The butter will pool on the top-that's fine. As soon as the caramel
is the right color, take the pan off the heat.
Arrange the apple halves in concentric circles, standing them upright on
their narrowest end and packing them in as tight as possible (they'll shrink
as they cook). Try to make the rows look neat. Reserve 4 apple halves to add
midway during cooking.
Return the pan to medium heat, increasing to medium-high as the apple juices
begin to flow-the liquid should be bubbling gently. Rotate the pan occasionally
in case there are any hot spots. Use your sense of smell: if you start to
smell burnt sugar, immediately turn the heat down. When the bottom halves
of the apples are caramelized and slightly tender, flip each one over with
a fork and continue cooking.
About this time, there should be a lot of juice in the pan and the apples
will likely have shrunk and be slumping a bit. Carefully take the pan from
the heat and, holding the apples back with a spatula, pour off ½ to 1 cup
of caramel and juice into a small saucepan (pour off more if necessary; you
should have about an inch of liquid left in the skillet). Return the skillet
to the heat and continue cooking. Add the reserved apples to the caramel in
the smaller pan and cook over medium-high heat until they're caramelized,
about 10 minutes, turning them frequently as necessary. With a rubber spatula
or a wooden spoon, push the apples in the skillet so they're tightly packed
and upright again; there will be gaps. Holding them in position, transfer
an apple half from the small pan and slide it, wider end down, into a gap;
repeat with as many apple halves as will fit nicely; reserve the juice in
the pan. Continue cooking until the apples in the skillet are tender and thoroughly
caramelized, inserting another apple half if necessary. The total cooking
time could take 35 minutes or more.
Remove the skillet from the heat and leave to cool to room temperature.
If there's more than about ½ inch of liquid remaining in the pan, carefully
pour off the excess into the small saucepan and reserve. Meanwhile, make and
chill the pâte brisée.
Heat the oven to 375°F. Roll the chilled dough into a round about 1 inch
larger than the pan; the dough should be about 1/8 inch thick. Roll the round
of dough onto the rolling pin and transfer it to the skillet, gently draping
the dough over the apples. Tuck and fold the edge of the dough under to make
a rim. Put the skillet in the middle of the oven. (A baking sheet on the rack
below will catch any overflowing juices.) Bake until the crust is a rich brown
and looks crisp, about 25 minutes.
Take the tarte from the oven, let it cool for about 15 minutes. If more
juice has accumulated, carefully pour off most of it into the saucepan and
then invert a large plate on top of the pan, flip the pan and plate over in
one quick move, and lift off the pan. Simmer the reserved caramel and juices
until thick and syrupy and then spoon them over the finished tarte or serve
alongside. Serve the tarte warm or at room temperature with crème fraîche
or vanilla ice cream. Leftovers are best eaten within a day or so; don't refrigerate.
Pâte Brisee - Yields enough for one tarte tatin
Ingredients
6 ¾ ounces (1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 ½ ounces (5 tablespoons ) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 large egg yolk
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water
Procedure
Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and whirl to blend. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like fine meal. In a cup or small bowl, whisk together the yolk, the vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of the water. Add this to the flour and butter and mix for a few seconds on low, just long enough to let the dough pull together; add a little more water if needed. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and work it with the heel of your hand, pushing it away from you and then gathering it up with a dough scraper, until the dough is very pliable. Press the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, 15 to 30 minutes.
