Every autumn I fall in love with apples all over again. I swoon at the first bite of a crisp, tart whole apple, close my eyes to fully experience the sweetly sour tang of fresh-pressed apple cider, and, of course, get inspired thinking of apples baked into all kinds of sugary and savory dishes.
Among my favorite baked apple desserts is tarte tatin, or what the ever-so-French Jacques Pepin refers to as a Country Apple Tart.
One of the things I love about this recipe is how easy it is. Even the crust is almost fool-proof if you follow a few simple guidelines: make sure the butter is very cold, and don’t over-process the dough.
I use my food processor and, after a few brief pulses, the dough comes together and is easily shaped into a disk that can be refrigerated until you are ready to roll it out.
While the dough is chilling, I peel the apples
and cut them into slices about 1/4 inch thick.
I chop any uneven ends and hide them under the neater slices when I pile them on the rolled out dough.
A drizzle of honey, a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar, and some butter and I am ready to fold the edges of the dough lightly over the edges of the apples and slide the whole thing into the oven for about forty minutes.
The result is both comforting enough for a family meal and elegant enough for company.
knitting a life 