Tarte Tatin is a classic French dessert, a nicely caramelized upside-down apple pie. (Unusually for apple desserts, it does not have any cinnamon, which is a plus for one cinnamon-hating relative!) I have made this car camping

(Tart Tatin (French Upside Down Apple Pie) – Camping Version) and won a Scoutmasters’ Cookoff making one at summer camp. I recently made one in a kitchen and thought it would be useful to modify the car camping version to more clearly say how to make it at home.

Sweet Tarte Crust

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

2 Tbs sugar

10 Tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into small slivers

1 egg yolk

3 Tbs ice water (plus more if necessary)

½ cup of flour in a ziplock baggie

Caramalized Apple Filling

2.5 lbs. Granny Smith or other baking apples (about 5 very large or 8 medium)

Juice of ½ lemon

1 stick unsalted butter (8 Tbs.)

¾ cup sugar

Optional whipped cream

Start by making the sweet tart crust. Combine the flour, salt and sugar together in the bowl of a food processor by pulsing once or twice. Spread the butter pieces over the surface of the flour mixture and pulse briefly until combined, but with still visible butter chunks. Add the egg yolk and pulse a few more times until combined.

Put the dough mixture in a large bowl. Sprinkle with water then using a rubber spatula, fold and press dough until it comes together into a ball. Form the dough into a 4-inch disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate. Store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to a couple of days or freeze if prepared longer in advance.

While the dough is chilling, make the caramelized apple filling. Peel, core and quarter the apples. Put the butter in a frying pan and sprinkle on top the sugar. Then spread the apples and lemon juice over the sugar, pressing them in. Put the frying pan over medium-high heat and cook about 15 minutes until the mixture is a nice brown.

While the apples are cooking, prepare a 9-inch cake pan.  Line it with baking parchment and spray it with cooking spray.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

When the apples are done, working quickly, spread the apple mixture evenly over the bottom of a cake pan.

While the apple mixture is cooking or cooling in the cake pan, roll out the dough on a pastry cloth or other floured surface to be about an inch wider than the cake pan.  Put the dough on top of the apple mixture, and tuck the dough around the sides of the pan. Prick the dough with a fork.

Put the cake pan in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.  Remove the pan from the oven.  Run a knife along the side of the cake pan.  Put a plate on top of the cake pan and quickly flip the tart onto the plate, apple side up.  Quickly scrape the bottom of the pan to add any stuck apples and caramelized sauce onto the tart and even out the top if necessary.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream is an optional topping.