I know. How French of me. I’m really enjoying sharing my obsession with you. I’m also having a bit of a moment with simple French cuisine. It’s been easy lately, because simple recipes require high quality ingredients, and my CSA is churning out some serious good stuff this time of year. I love the late summer/ early fall harvest. This is my first week with local apples, yet I’m still getting pints of sungold tomatoes. I can’t think of anything better! Ooh, except fall’s first kale and summer’s last zucchini. No no no, how about the first acorn squash with a heavy, ebony eggplant? The eatin’ is goooooood lately. After I properly remedied my crêpe-less life last week with Crêpes for Two, I knew Apple Tarte Tatin was next. What I did not know is how easy it is! Apple Tarte Tatin is basically apples cooked in caramel with a sheet of puff pastry on top. Easy, right? And since you’ve all made my 15-minute puff pastry recipe, you are more than ready to make Tarte Tatin with it! I made individual Tarte Tatins in two mini cast iron skillets. My skillets measure 5" wide and 1" deep. Please measure before using. I had a long email exchange between a reader who had countless failures making my Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundaes with the wrong size cast iron skillets. When we finally figured out her mini 3" skillets that were only ½" deep were the culprit, we were so relieved! So, grab your ruler and measure your mini skillets first, ok? I should mention I didn’t test this recipe in any alternative size pans, because these are just so cute. But, since the recipe is pretty simple, as long as your vessel holds the apples with at least a ½" space below the rim in order to stuff the puff pastry, you should be good. Don’t quote me on that, though. I cooked my apples in a separate skillet first, obviously. I didn’t want to catch on fire while wielding two mini cast iron skillets over 10" gas burners. Plus, I’m really into these fall baggy sweaters (with skinny jeans!), which are highly flammable. Not that I learned by catching my sleeve on fire while making chai last year or anything. Not at all. So, my friends. Think of this as an even easier, all American apple pie, with a French twist. You can do it! These are the exact mini cast iron skillets I used. SaveSaveSaveSave Use the smallest, squattest apples you can find. Organic apples are usually pretty wimpy in size, but big on flavor.
