Tarte Tatin

Pastry:

1 cup plus 1 T. flour
7 T. chilled unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
1 1/2 T. sugar
2 large egg yolks

Rub together flour and butter with fingertips til it resembles coarse bread crumbs (use a pastry cutter first). Mix in sugar. Add yolks and cut them in. Form a ball. Chill 30 minutes.

Apples:

1/2 cup sugar
3 T. unsalted butter (must use butter)
5 apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
(don't cut them any smaller or they will overcook and the crust won't be done.)

Put an 8" or 10" oven-proof skillet (or glass pie pan) over medium-low heat. Add sugar and butter and melt until syrupy.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Arrange the apple quarters in the skillet (or pie pan) and cook 15 minutes or until they are golden in color and the sugar caramelizes. Take the apples off the heat.

Roll out the pastry dough on a lightly floured board, slightly wider than the skillet (or pie pan). Use a big spatula to loosen the dough from the surface.

Fold the dough in half, put on top the apples, and unfold it to cover them. Tuck the edges of the dough inside the skillet (pie pan), not outside like normal pies.

Put in oven, bake 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake 20 minutes more. (OK to cook well done).

Remove from oven, and loosen around the edge with a knife.

Put a serving plate on top and invert.

Sandy Staehlin says: It's just delicious, so simple yet the apple flavor is very strong.