Apple Tarte Tatin - Pi Day

Have you made your pie for Pi day on March, 14th? If you're a nerd like me, Pi is a mathematical constant which its value is approximately equal to 3.14... so that's why last Monday, we celebrate Pi day, the day we grab a slice of pie.

Last year, I didn't make a pie, instead I blog about the new Australian Pie place (Tourtière Australienne), which is opened in Montreal for more than a year now. Check out their selection of hand-size pies from my last year post.

This year, I decided to go for a challenging dessert. Since French cuisine is one of my specialty, I went for the classic Tarte Tatin, an upside-down caramelized fruit tart. This is a very technical and difficult to get it right for an amateur baker, even trickier if you never caramelize sugar. I have to confess that I burnt the sugar twice before I got the caramelization at the right consistency. I did have a hard time to remove the burnt caramel from the skillet, so be prepared to clean the skillet, if you end up burning the sugar. 

The key to a perfect Tarte Tatin is getting the puff pastry dry and flaky, the fruits juicy, soft and well caramelized with a hint of acidity. If you meet all these criterias, you should be proud of yourself! My Tarte Tatin was nearly perfect, only a few wedges of apples stuck onto the pan when I flipped the tart to the plate.  Apart from that, the tart tasted just like I describe it. If you're brave enough to take on this dessert, let me know how it turns out.

Serves 4
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins
Baking Time: 25 mins
Cooling Time: 15 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

3 Golden Delicious apples (or Granny Smith)
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 puff pastry sheet

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 425F.

2. Peel apples, cut into quarters and remove cores. Toss it in a bowl with 2 tbsp sugar and lemon juice.

3. Roll puff pastry dough into 11'' x 11'' on a lightly floured surface. Cut pastry into a circle about 11 inches in diameter, using a 9-inch skillet as a guide. Prick pastry with fork.

4. In a 9-inch oven-proof skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Cover it with sugar and cook until it starts to foam and mixture is light brown, about 2-3 mins. Keep a close eye on the sugar!

5. Remove skillet from heat, arrange apples around the edge of the skillet, flat side down. Fill the middle with the remaining apples.

6. Turn heat to medium-low, cook apples for 6 mins. Shake pan occasionally. Turn apples during the cooking process, about 2 mins per side. End turning with apples rounded-side down. The caramel should be bubbly and darkly colored. 

7. Remove from heat. Lay pastry dough on top of the apples, tuck in the edges so that it fits into the skillet.

8. Transfer skillet to oven. Bake for 25 mins or until the crust is golden brown. Rotate pan halfway.

9. Remove from oven and cool in the skillet for 15 mins.

10. Now the fun part. Place a serving plate on top of the skillet and hold it tightly against the skillet. Flip skillet and plate and set plate on the counter. Carefully lift the skillet up, leaving the tart behind. 

11. Serve with your favorite ice cream or crème fraîche.