Tarte Tatin

(Makes one 10-inch (25-cm) tart, Serves 8)

Ingredients

Tarte
180 mL (¾ cup)	Granulated sugar
15 mL (1 tbsp)	Lemon juice
30 mL (2 tbsp)	Water
60 mL (¼ cup)	Butter, cut into ½ inch (1.2 cm) pieces
5 mL (1 tsp)	Vanilla extract
2.5 L (10 cups)	Apples (about 8 medium), peeled and cut into ½ inch (1.2 cm) wedges

Single Crust Pastry
360 mL (1 ½ cups)	All-purpose flour
½ mL (¼ tsp)	Salt
80 mL (1/3 cup)	Cold butter, cut into ½ inch (1.2 cm) pieces
80 mL (1/3 cup)	Shortening, cut into ½ inch (1.2 cm) pieces, frozen for 15 minutes
60 mL (¼ cup)	Cold water

Method

Tarte Filling

Combine the sugar, lemon juice and water in a 25 cm (10 inch) cast iron skillet.
Cook over medium heat, stirring often until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook without stirring until the liquid turns a deep golden colour, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.
Arrange a single layer of apples over the caramel in a decorative fashion.
Layer the remaining apples evenly in the skillet.
Cook over medium-low heat, basting until the syrup becomes thick, about 20-30 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool for about 30 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF).
Prepare the pastry as directed, but when you roll it out, roll it about 1 inch (2.5 cm) larger than the skillet, cutting away the excess dough.
Set the pastry on top of the apples and push the edges down inside the pan.
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Cool for 10-15 minutes.
Place a plate over the crust and invert the tart carefully.
Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Single Crust Pastry

Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible.
Using a food processor or a pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, butter and shortening.
Process or cut in until the mixture resembles a coarse meal and begins to clump together.
Sprinkle with the water, let rest for 30 seconds and then either process briefly or cut with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl.
Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes.
Allow the dough to warm slightly at room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board, roll the disk to a thickness of 3 cm (1/8 inch).
Use as directed in the above method.