A Sweet Treat? Day 2

Good evening and welcome to another exciting entry on Everyday Meals! Today, we bring a taste of French dessert to our tables. We will be tackling what is called a tarte Tatin. A tarte Tatin is an upside-down tart with caramelized fruit tossed together and baked. Tradition says that the first tarte Tatin was created accidentally at the Hotel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron, France in 1898. To this day, there are two conflicting stories as to how this incident happened. So, this is the dish we will be making today!

Apple Tarte Tatin

You will need:

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 pounds (about 5 to 6 medium) sweet-tart cooking apples, cored and peeled
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/16 teaspoon ground allspice

Do you have everything? Let's get started!

1. Working on a clean surface, roll the pastry dough into an 11-inch circle and chill.
2. Melt the butter in a 10-inch oven-proof skillet. 
3. Add the sugar and cook it for 4 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to evenly caramelize the sugar. The sugar is done when it has turned a medium golden brown hue. 
4. Remove the skillet from the heat and set it aside.
5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
6. Cut the apples lengthwise into 1/3-inch slices. 
7. Toss the apple slices gently, but thoroughly, with the lemon zest, cinnamon, and allspice. 
8. Arrange the apples in a single layer in the hot caramel in the skillet.
9. Return the skillet to the stove top and cook the apples over medium heat for 15 minutes, until the apples start to turn tender. 
10. Remove the skillet from the heat and drape the pastry over the spiced apples, fitting the overhang down between the fruit and the sides of the skillet. 
11. Bake in the preheated oven 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry turns golden brown. Cool the tarte Tatin in the skillet for 30 minutes before inverting it onto a serving platter.
12. Serve!

This is an easy dish that anyone can try. If you are cooking with young children, I advise keeping a watch on them when it comes to hot butter and the stove top. Other than that, enjoy and I bid you adieu! I'll see you all tomorrow for another sweet treat!