On a busy (but scenic and perfectly art directed) October afternoon in the French countryside, in the kitchen of her Loire Valley inn, one of the Tatin sisters had prepared her usual (and fabulous) apple pie, put it in the oven, dusted off her hands on her pique apron, and was just about out of the kitchen when she noticed the pie crust was still on the table. Sacre bleu! But the quick thinking Tatin mademoiselle just gathered up the dough, pulled the pie pan out of the oven, fashioned the pastry on top of the fruit mixture, and put it all back in to bake. When it was done, she bravely flipped everything out of the pan, thereby creating an apple upside-down tart out of the apple pie, which became the eponymous Tarte Tatin. The guests were delighted and the sisters were thrilled. Although the issue of royalties still rankles.

Tarte Tatin

The Pastry

(Cookbook author and Tatin guru, Dorie Greenspan, recommends buying Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets at your supermarket, or the kind she loves, from Dufour Pastry.)

• 1 ¼ (5 oz) all-purpose plain flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, chilled
• 2 tbsp, or more, cold water

Combine the flour, sugar and salt. Cut the butter into bits and drop them into the bowl. Using your fingertips, two knives or a pastry blender, blend the ingredients until the mixture becomes small particles about the size of oatmeal flakes. Sprinkle 1 tbsp water over the flour mixture and stir with a fork. Then sprinkle another tablespoon water, and stir again. When the dough is damp enough to form a rough mass, put it onto a work surface, gather it together and pat it into a cake.

Roll the dough onto a generously floured work surface until it’s an inch wider than the diameter of the skillet you’ll be using.

Makes one 9 inch tart shell.

The Tart

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• ¾ cup sugar
• 8 firm apples, peeled, cored and quartered (or thickly sliced)
  (sweet ones are good, like Fuji, Gala or Golden Delicious)

The Set-Up

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Line a baking sheet with parchment

Use a 9 or 10 inch ovenproof skillet or a Tarte Tatin pan
Have a large serving plate on hand

On a floured surface, roll out the dough to ⅛ inch thick
Cut the dough into a circle about an inch larger than the diameter of the pan
Prick with the tines of a fork
Transfer to the baking sheet.
Cover and refrigerate

The Apples

Over medium heat, add the butter to the skillet, coating the sides of the pan with the butter as it melts.
Sprinkle the sugar over the butter and remove from the heat

Put a layer of apples into the skillet, with the rounded side down to make concentric circles. Pack the apples tightly because they shrink as they cook. When the first layer is snugly in the pan, cut the remaining apple quarters and lay them over the first layer. This layer can be free form. It’s only for height.

Put the pan back on the heat and cook until the sugar turns a deep caramel color. About 15 minutes.

Take the pastry from the fridge and place it over the fruit, loosely tucking any overhang. It doesn’t have to look perfect. This is country French. Ralph Lauren would charge for the inconsistencies.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
If you made pastry dough, bake until it’s baked through. If you made puff pastry, bake until it’s puffed.

The Tricky Part

Cover the skillet with the serving plate and, (did anyone mention you should be wearing oven mitts) act quickly and confidently, like a good Tatin sister, and turn the tart out onto the platter and remove the pan.

If any of the apples are still sticking to the pan gently lift them off with an icing spatula and press gently back onto the tart. Remember, this is all about getting it right by getting it wrong.

No matter who wants some right away, the caramelized sugar is hot and has to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. However, the tart does have to be served warm, so there’s not much of a window.

Serve it with unsweetened crème fraiche.

Reprinted from Dorie Greenspan’s recipe at npr.org from the segment she did on National Public Radio. Which is another reason to support public broadcasting.