Tarte des Demoiselles Tatin (Upside-Down Apple Tart)

Ingredients

• 1 sheet (1/2 pound) frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 3 pounds Golden Delicious apples
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into thin pieces
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Whipped cream as accompaniment

Directions

Peel, halve, and core the apples, brushing them with the lemon juice as they are cored. In a 10 1/4-inch round copper gratin pan, 1 1/2 inches deep, arrange the butter pieces on the bottom and sprinkle them with the sugar. Arrange the apples, round side down, in 2 concentric circles, overlapping them slightly, in the pan. Cook the apple mixture over moderately low heat for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sugar is a golden brown caramel, transfer it to the middle of a preheated 400 degree oven, and bake it for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the apples are just tender. Let the apple mixture cool for 5 minutes.

Arrange the dough over the apple mixture and let it soften just until the edges can be tucked down between the apples and the side of the pan. Prick the dough and bake the tart in the middle of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Invert a heat-proof serving plate over the pan and invert the Tarte Tatin carefully onto it. Serve warm with whipped cream.