2 ounces butter (1/2 stick), softened and cut into 2-3 chunks
6 medium apples
10" square of puff pastry
1 Preheat oven to 400°. Peel apples and cut in half, removing cores.
2 Put sugar into a 9-inch, oven safe skillet. Cook over medium heat on stovetop until sugar is a deep brown. Stir in butter with a spatula, then turn off the heat and let caramel rest for 5 minutes.
3 While caramel is resting, roll out the puff pastry a few times on a very lightly floured surface to make sure it is large enough to cover the skillet and to smooth out any wrinkles. Cut a 1/2 inch vent (slit) in the centre of the pastry.
4 Arrange apples in the cramel so that there are no open spaces between them (either the cut side or the round side of the apples can face up). Place puff pastry over apples and tuck the edges lightly around the apples.
NOTE: Don't worry if the pastry is square and the skillet round, just tuck in the corners around the apples.
5 Bake in oven until golden brown and the apples are soft when poked with a sharp knife, about 25 - 30 minutes. Remove skillet from oven and let sit for about 1 minute. Place a large serving plate on top of the skillet and, carefully, turn tart out onto the platter. Serve while hot, with ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.
Serves 4-6
