Tarte Tatin

Tarte Tatin is a dessert I just had to try. We love apples and I like to try recipes that are new to me--sometimes for the flavor--sometimes for the experience. This recipe is based on one I read at Epicurious.com and was really pretty simple. The next time (and yes, there will be a next time) I make this I will change the recipe once again to give it more caramelization. I may even be brave & make the traditional pate brisee dough or even use a puff pastry. This time around I used my old favorite oil crust recipe and it worked fine--except for the parts that stuck to the edges of my skillet. Those extra bits of crust did not go to waste. I scraped them off the edges of the skillet and crumbled them over the top of each serving of the yummy apple dessert. I could not do one version of the recipe that calls for a cast iron skillet since my cook top is Ceran. Possibly, I could achieve good results using the cast iron skillet in the oven but felt it would take more time & I was anxious to try this. Following is the recipe which I altered from the original*****

1 recipe of oil pie crust

2 Cups AP Flour
2/3 Cup Canola Oil
1/3 Cup Milk
Dash of Salt
For this recipe I added a dash of nutmeg & cinnamon.
Mix all ingredients & roll out between 2 pieces of parchment. Use as much of this as you need to cover your apples after their session on the cook top & 20 minutes in the oven. I had a bit of dough left so it was placed in plastic wrap & then in the freezer.

Filling

1/2 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
7-9 Gala Apples, peeled, cored & halved
Dash of Cinnamon & Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Spread butter over the bottom & sides of skillet (I used stainless steel). Pour sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg over the bottom of skillet. Arrange apples vertically on sugar. Pack them tightly in an even circle. Cook apples over medium heat, undisturbed, until juices are brown & bubbling. This took about 25 minutes. Put skillet in middle of oven on a cookie sheet (to catch drips). Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and lay pastry over apples. Bake until pastry is browned, about 25 minutes. Ovens vary, so watch after 20 minutes. Place skillet on a rack and cool for at least 10 minutes. Invert a platter (larger than your skillet and best with some type of lip) over skillet. Use potholders and invert tart onto platter. There may be some of that great caramel left in the skillet--don't waste it. Scoop it out and pour it over apples. Supposed to be served warm. We ate it warm & cold the next day. Either way -- delicious!
Great with ice cream, whipped cream, or just a plain splash of cream or milk over the top. Next time I would use more sugar, maybe even some brown sugar to yield more caramel. I won't feel I need to stick with only Gala apples. I'll use whatever I have. Anyone have a different recipe for Tarte Tatin you love & would like to share?

Happy Baking,
Fran