Tarte Tatin

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Make the pastry dough.

2. By Hand

   1. Step 2

      Sift the flour and the salt into a large bowl. Sprinkle on the sugar and mix it in lightly. Work the butter into the flour with two knives, crossing the blades and pulling them away from each other rapidly, using a light touch, until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.

   2. Step 3

      Sprinkle on the ice water. Gather the dough into a ball and knead gently with the heel of your palm to bind it. Shape into a ball and dust with flour. Place in a plastic bag and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.

3. In a Food Processor

   1. Step 4

      Place the flour, salt, sugar and butter into the bowl of the machine fitted with a steel blade. Buzz stop 15 times (each time long enough to count to three). Add the water and repeat 10 times. The dough should look like sticky coarse bread crumbs. Do not allow the mixture to form a ball in the machine or it will become difficult to roll out and the crust will be tough.

   2. Step 5

      Knead the dough lightly with the heel of your palm to bind it. Shape it into a ball and dust with flour. Place the dough in a plastic bag and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.

4. For the Pie

   1. Step 6

      Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring the pastry dough to room temperature.

   2. Step 7

      Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Sprinkle with the sugar and cook over medium to high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has turned a caramel color. Remove from the heat.

   3. Step 8

      Peel, core and quarter the apples and arrange them in a circle on the caramel in the skillet.

   4. Step 9

      Roll out the pastry dough to make a circle large enough to leave 1-inch overhanging the apples in the skillet. Place the dough over the apples, turning the extra dough under. Using the point of a sharp knife, make several slits in the dough so steam can escape while the tarte is baking.

   5. Step 10

      Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the apples are tender when tested with a skewer and the crust is golden brown.

   6. Step 11

      Cool for 20 minutes and unmold by inverting a serving platter on top of the skillet and turning the skillet over.