The Fabulous Tart Tatin

The tart Tatin was created accidentally at the Hotel Tatin in Lamotte Beuvron 100 miles South of Paris, in the 1880s. When Stephanie Tatin was making her daily apple pies, she left the apples cooking in butter and sugar for too long. She then tried to rescue the dish by putting the pastry base on top of the pan of apples, finishing the baking in the oven. After turning out the upside down tart; it became a hit... This fancy version offers excellent results using a Nordic Ware Heritage Bundt Pan (Look up at Shop Page). Make Tatin a day ahead.

Cream soften butter with salt. Add sugar, almond meal, and vanilla. Then the yolks and the flour sifted with the powdered sugar. Chill pastry for about 30 min. Place it between 2 parchment papers, and roll out into a 6mm/0.24'' sheet; freeze. Cut out into desired disk, and prick with a fork – keep pastry frozen until ready to use. Save scraps for extra cookies.

Cook sugar into brown caramel. Lower the heat and add butter and stir until smooth. Add vanilla and lemon juice. Grease mold with cooking spray and wipe off excess. Pour hot caramel mixture inside pan; set aside.

In a large pot, or skillet bring some water to a boil with the juice of a lemon. Meanwhile, peel, quater, and core apples. Throw apple quarters in hot lemony water. Bring to boil, turn the heat off – put the lid on and leave apples for 10 min. Drain apples, and cut each quater into thin slices. (Pre-cooking apples prevent from browning meanwhile softening up apple upon sliced). Arrange apple per sliced quater following the pan curves starting from the center. Continue filling up pan until done.