tarte tatin

There is no greater month than November... it finishes off October's blitzkrieg of business, holds the alluring promise of Christmas, and guarantees an abundance of warm, hearty meals. And what word rolls off the tongue more beautifully? November has the soft, velvet texture of a comfortable idea wrapped in rusty colors and chill mornings.

A crumbly, buttery, decadent French tart seems the perfect way to usher in the autumn nights, and this recipe for Tarte Tatin is scandalously simple. The crust is not a traditional tart crust, but one given to me by a friend's mother that has absitively, posolutely never failed me. The filling is tres riche -- gobs of butter and frosty brown sugar and crisp apples melting together in a cast-iron pan.

This oh-so-French dessert has a delicious little backstory as well: the Tatin sisters, who owned a small cafe in southern France, were renowned for their apple tarts. One day, in a haze of distraction, one of the sisters accidentally poured the filling in before she'd made the crust. Shrugging and grinning, she laid the crust gently over the filling, tucked in the sides, baked it, flopped it out on a plate.. and people were hooked!

Tarte Tatin

Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening
6 tablespoons cold water

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Cut in the shortening until dough is in pea-sized crumbles. Using a fork, dribble the water over part of the dough, one tablespoon at a time, tossing to mix. Form the dough into a rough ball, lay out onto flour-doused countertop, and pound with the side of your hand, three times horizontally and three times vertically. Roll out, and set aside.

Filling

5 ripe green apples
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar

Caramelize apples in sugar and butter in a cast-iron pan, simmering about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Carefully lay crust over pan, tucking in the sides around the filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. When done, allow to cool for 10 minutes, then flip the tart onto a plate. Serve with a splash of cream if you're feeling very French.