Apple Tatin

Serves 8

1 sheet puff pastry (I prefer Pepperidge Farms)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 pounds tart, firm apples (4-6 apples)

Preheat oven to 375°

In a heavy skillet (I use my 10" cast iron pan) over medium heat melt the butter. Add the sugar and stir. Just before the sugar is melted remove it from the heat and add the vanilla and cinnamon. Don't worry if the caramel separates, it will come back together.

Peel and halve and core enough apples to wedge them in tightly, face down in the caramel. Peel and thinly slice one more apple and shingle it in a layer over the other apples.

Roll out your puff pastry and tuck it around the edges of the apples, on the inside of the pan. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350° and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes. The puff pastry will be a deep, golden brown.

Let it cool for five minutes, but no more than 10 (lest it set up in the pan) and turn it out onto a large plate. Be careful, sugar burns are a bitch to deal with.

Recipe from: The Grand Central Baking Book, page 194

CHEATER METHOD:
The two most fragile ingredients in baking are, hands down, sugar and butter, which means caramel is tricky business. It can go from awesome to burned in the blink of an eye. If you don't feel comfortable giving it a go you can cheat. Get a high-quality caramel sauce (I used Mrs. Richardson's for this test) and pour about 3/4 of a cup into your pan. Warm it on low heat. When it begins to move freely around the pan whisk in 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch to help it set up. Remove from the heat and proceed to the apple step. Enjoy!