Tarte Tatin

Sugar and butter are cooked in an ovenproof skillet until they turn to caramel. Apple halves or quarters are packed in tightly and cooked until they start to soften, then covered with puff pastry or shortcrust and baked until the pastry is crisp. The tart is turned out onto a plate while still warm.

It is named after the Tatin sisters, who ran a hotel in the Loire Valley of France in the late 1800s. Firm apples that hold their shape work best. Pears, quinces and other fruit can be used the same way.