Tarte Tatin

That's [tar-TUH tah-TAHN], a rustic, French, upside-down apple tart -- apparently I'm on a quest for upside-down pastry. I somehow got it into my head to make this without really knowing what it was, but the good news is it's easy and delicious. I used a recipe from Sara Moulton / Food TV, which seems to have come by way of Gourmet magazine. It's short and simple, but her directions are so terse I'm going to elaborate on them a bit here. Start-to-finish time for me was just under 2 hours.

Pull out to thaw on the counter top

1. 1 sheet (1/2 lb.) puff pastry

Keep it covered with a bit of plastic wrap. Once it gets a bit pliable, you can prop it open as a triangle. If it gets fully thawed before you finish with the apples, just put it in the fridge.

Now start with

1. 3 lbs. apples, peeled, halved, and cored (about 5 grocery store large size)

Sara recommends Golden Delicious, and I used Braeburn because they were on sale, but I think Granny Smith would be the killer app here. If you don't have a corer, don't use a small cookie cutter like I tried to -- you do too much damage. Just cut a triangular wedge with your knife. To prevent browning, brush each apple as it is finished with

1. Juice of 1-2 lemons

In the bottom of a 10-inch skillet, layer

1. 1 stick (1/2 c) unsalted butter, sliced thin
2. 1/2 c sugar

On top of that, place the apple halves in a circle, rounded side down, with two more pieces to fill in the middle. After searching Google Images, I think I have it right -- see the picture.

Cook the apple mixture over medium heat for 30-35 minutes, until the carmel bubbling up starts to become golden. Slide the whole thing into a preheated 400 F oven for 10-15 more minutes, until the apples are tender. Let cool 5 minutes.

While the apples are cooking and cooling, pinch together the seams on the puff pastry and then roll it out and trim to a 12" diameter circle. Two sheets of wax paper and a little sugar to soak up the condensed moisture helps here. I use the destination plate as a template to cut the circle. Oh, and Alton Brown would want you to use a sharp knife on the pastry. Return the circle to the fridge to firm up again.

After the apples have cooled 5 minutes, drape the pastry over top. As the heat softens it a bit, tuck the edges down between the side of the pan and the apples. Prick the dough with a fork and return it to the 400 F oven for 15-25 minutes, until the pastry is dark golden but not burned. Remove from oven and invert on serving plate to cool. Yummy hot or cool, with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.