Reply #24: Well, the tatin is really easy

[GoneOffShore]

4 oz butter (or substitute)
4 oz white sugar
12 or 14 good cooking apples, peeled, core and halved

Short crust pastry, about a pound.

You also need a 9 or 10 inch cast iron frying pan or Le Creuset Tarte Tatin pan - Enameled cast iron. http://www.lecreuset.com/usa/products/guide.php?category_id=24

You don't really need the Le Creuset, but the two handles make it really easy.

Heat the sugar in the pan with the butter over medium heat, and let it bubble and start to turn color. It needs to carmelize. After it's taken on some color, put in the apple halves around the edge of the pan, standing on their edges. They'll turn as they cook. Really pack them in around the edge. In the hole in the center arrange more apple halves. Cook this on top of the stove for 10 minutes or so. Then put the pan into a preheated 350 deg oven for at least two hours. Take it out and let it cool overnight so that the apples can "confit" (absorb the caramel). If you can't wait, let the pan cool slightly, roll out the pastry and put it over the top of the pan. Roll it so that the edges of the pan cut through and remove the excess. Tuck the pastry down the sides and put the pan back in the oven. Cook for another 20-25 minutes until the pastry is brown.

Now comes the slightly tricky part (as though the carmelization wasn't tricky enough). Put a plate face down on the pan. Pick up the pan and plate together and flip the whole thing over. If you've held on tight and the plate is a good fit, you shouldn't lose any of the caramel. Set it down on the counter and wait 5 minutes. Remove the pan. If any apples stick to the pan just remove them and put them back in their spaces on the tart.

You can serve it warm or cold with whipped cream or ice cream or just by itself.

Old French recipe complete with a preservation society and web site http://www.tarte-tatin.com/