June 7, 2013

Photo by Phil Smith

1/3 cup  brown sugar

1/3 cup  butter

5 Granny Smith apples 

-- cored, peeled & sliced ½-inch thick

1 pinch  cinnamon -- freshly ground

1 pinch  allspice -- freshly ground

3 tablespoons  cognac

1 puff pastry sheet -- thawed 

vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  

Place an oven rack in the third from the top position of your oven. Trim the puff pastry around the casserole dish that you will be using for the dessert.  Make sure that the dough stays well chilled, and that you trim with an extremely sharp knife, so that the pastry does not get smashed. You will need a flameproof dish with straight sides, approximately 10 inches in diameter with 2-inch sides. A straight sided sauté pan will work, or a paella dish with straight sides. Of course, a tatin dish would be perfect. In your flame-proof shallow casserole dish, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the brown sugar and cognac, and continue to cook until sugar melts, approximately 4 minutes. Add the apples to the dish and season with the cinnamon and nutmeg.  Lightly sauté in the sugar mixture until slightly soft, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.  Place trimmed puff pastry on top of the apple mixture and gently tuck in the sides around the apples. The pastry will form a rim to contain the fruit later. Cut 4 small slits equally spaced in a diamond pattern on the dough to allow the steam to vent. Quickly put dish into the oven (to keep the heat in), and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry has puffed, and is golden brown. Remove from oven, allow to cool 10 minutes.  Place a plate on top of the dish large enough to hold the dessert. Invert the pan on the plate, remove the pan.  Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream.