Apple Tart Tatin with Homemade Puff Pastry
- 6 to 8 golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and halved
- 1 lemon juiced
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 8 ounces Homemade Puff Pastry, recipe follows, or 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
- Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl toss the apple halves with the lemon juice and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a 9 or 10-inch skillet over high heat.
- Add the sugar and cook until the sugar melts and then caramelizes to an amber color, swirling the skillet if necessary for even browning.
- (Do not stir or sugar may crystallize.)
- Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Arrange a tight layer of apples, rounded sides down, over the caramel.
- Cut the remaining apple halves in half so that you now have apple quarters.
- Arrange these over the apple halves, cut sides down, arranging apples neatly.
- Cover the skillet and return the skillet to the heat.
- Cook over medium-low heat until the apples are almost tender and have released their juices, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove the cover and increase the heat to medium and cook until the juices have reduced and are very thick and syrupy, about 15 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to the counter top and allow to sit at room temperature until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 12-inch diameter round about 3/16-inch thick.
- Place the dough atop the hot apples and tuck the edges into the skillet, carefully folding or pushing the overhang down tightly around the apples.
- Cut several slits in the dough to allow steam to escape while baking.
- Bake until the tart crust is golden, about 20 minutes.
- Remove tart from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Run a small knife around the edge of the skillet to loosen tart, then place a large plate or platter over the skillet.
- Using oven mitts, CAREFULLY grasp platter and skillet and invert, letting tart settle onto the platter and giving skillet a quick tap if necessary.
- Carefully lift off the skillet and place any apples remaining in skillet on top of the tart.
- Cool slightly and serve warm, with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, about 12 ounces
- 2/3 cup cake flour, about 2 ounces
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter (3 1/4 sticks)
- 1 cup ice water, plus more as needed
- Sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- Dice 6 tablespoons of the chilled butter, returning the remaining butter to the refrigerator to keep cold.
- Place the diced butter into the mixing bowl and using your fingers or a pastry blender, blend until the mixture forms a coarse meal, similar to a piecrust.
- Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the water.
- Use a rubber spatula to gradually blend the water with the flour mixture, mixing just until a rough, sticky dough is formed.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Place the remaining butter on a work surface, (a marble surface is ideal).
- Using a rolling pin or the heal of your hand, smash the butter into the surface until pliable, taking care not to over work the butter as it should stay chilled.
- Work butter into a 5-inch square.
- Remove the rested dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface.
- Roll out dough into a 12-inch circle, being careful not to pull or tear the dough.
- (The dough mixture may still be very rough and tacky.)
- Place the butter square into the center of the circle and fold the edges of the dough over the butter, pressing to seal the edges.
- You should now have a square of butter wrapped in dough.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the square into a 16-by-8-inch rectangle.
- (The dough may need to be pounded with the rolling pin several times to allow the butter to become more pliable.)
- Be careful not to tear the dough.
- Fold the rectangle 3 times as you would fold a business letter.
- Place the rectangle in front of you lengthwise and roll into another 16 by 8-inch rectangle.
- Fold again 3 times as you would a business letter and make 2 small indentations into the dough to remind yourself that it has been rolled twice.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Return the rested dough to a lightly floured surface and repeat the process of rolling the dough into a rectangle, making 3 business-letter folds, 2 times.
- Make 4 small indentations into the dough to remind yourself that it has been rolled a total of 4 times.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- If desired, dough can rest refrigerated for up to 2 days at this point.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface.
- Roll into a 16 by 8-inch rectangle and fold 3 times, similar to a business letter.
- Repeat process and make 6 small indentations into the dough.
- Wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Now the pastry is ready to be rolled and used in the desired puff pastry recipe.
- Yield: about 2 1/2 pounds
apples, lemon juiced, unsalted butter, sugar, pastry, cream
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/apple-tart-tatin-with-homemade-puff-pastry-recipe.html (may not work)