Apple Tarte Tatin

Apple Tarte Tatin

Tarte Tatin was an upside-down apple pie first baked by two sisters in the Loire Valley region of France. It was just caramelized apples and pastry, but that’s where the secrets lie. The apples need to be tart and local and fresh, the best you can find. Peel them. And the pastry should be homemade, but in a pinch, of course, you can use store-bought. I love baking this pie in the iron skillet because the juices caramelize, which creates flavor! If the apples stick to the skillet when you try to invert this pie, simply scrape them off the skillet and patch them into place. And, make sure you have good vanilla ice cream to serve alongside!

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APPLE TARTE TATIN RECIPE:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
2 pounds tart apples, peeled, cored, quartered, and each quarter cut into 3 slices
2 rounds pie pastry or one recipe Homemade Pie crust
Vanilla ice cream

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add both the sugars and cinnamon, if using, and stir to combine. Spread out the sugar mixture, and arrange the apple sices in concentric circles in the bottom of the pan. Cook, undisturbed, so the apples develop a golden brown color underneath but do not stick, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Roll out the pie pastry to make one 12-inch circle that is 1/3-inch thick. Place the circle of dough on top of the apples, tucking the edges under so the pastry fits in the skillet.

4. Place the skillet in the oven and bake until the pastry is lightly browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven. Place a large, flat platter on top of the skillet. Invert the hot skillet onto the platter and carefully hit the skillet with your hand (in an oven mitt!) to release any apples that might stick. Let tart fall onto a platter and replace any stuck apples. Serve warm with ice cream.

Warm Chocolate Chunk Cookie to Share

Warm Chocolate Chunk Cookie to Share

Recipe from my new book, Skillet Love, available October 29, 2019!

This warm skillet dessert brings everyone to the table. Even if they don’t love dessert, they will want a spoonful of this big, ooey-gooey cookie. Make sure not to over-cook. The edges should be crispy but the center still soft and spoonable.

I like to use a mixture of chocolate in this recipe - semisweet chocolate chips as well as chopped bittersweet chocolate. It is that nice mixture of sweet and not-so-sweet that keeps this dessert interesting. And toss on chopped walnuts or pecans before baking - whatever you’ve got. The ice cream? Vanilla, buttermilk, or even caramel. You can’t go wrong!

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WARM CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIE TO SHARE:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate chunks
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over low heat. Turn off the heat. Stir both sugars into the melted butter. Fold in the eggs and vanilla.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture and stir until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips and chocolate chunks. Run a wet paper towel around the edges of the pan to clean them up. Scatter the nuts over the top of the batter.

4. Place the skillet in the oven and bake until the edges are lightly browned and the center is still a little soft to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
   

Zucchini Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting

Zucchini Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting

With an August birthday and a garden that cranks out zucchini in the summer heat, this has become my favorite birthday cake.

And it was never planned! I had a favorite zucchini bread recipes and wondered how that bread would taste baked in a cake pan. Plus, a reader passed along a wonderful brown sugar cream cheese frosting recipe with a deep, rich flavor, and I knew that frosting was destined for the zucchini bread/cake crossover.

It’s a little like the magic created by a carrot cake, only better. Now, I just need to find someone each August to bake me this cake. And if that’s not possible, then I just bake it myself!

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ZUCCHINI CAKE WITH BROWN SUGAR FROSTING RECIPE:

Makes: 12 servings | Prep: 45 to 50 minutes | Bake: 30 to 35 minutes

For the cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans (see Note)
2 packed cups grated zucchini (about 1 pound)

Brown Sugar Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
8 tablespoons (1 stick) lightly salted butter, at room temperature
1 firmly packed cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mist two 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable oil spray and dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pans aside.

2. Place the flour, cinnamon, soda, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl and stir to combine well. Set aside.

3. Place the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl, and blend with an electric mixer on low speed until they are combined. Increase the mixer to medium and blend until lemon colored, 2 minutes. Add the oil and vanilla and blend 1 minute, until combined. Fold in the dry ingredients and walnuts, if desired. Fold in the zucchini. Stir with a wooden spoon until the ingredients are well combined. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans, and place the pans in the oven.

4. Bake until the cake layers test done by pressing the top lightly with your fingers so they spring back, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the layers from the oven, and let them cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges and shake the pans gently to loosen the cakes. Invert the cakes onto racks to cool right-side up. Let cool 30 minutes before frosting.

5. For the frosting, with an electric mixer, blend the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy. Add the brown sugar and vanilla and beat until well combined, 2 to 3 minutes.

6. To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a plate, and cover with about 1/3 cup frosting, spreading to the edges. Place the second layer on top. Place about 1 cup frosting on top of the cake, and spread decoratively. Use the rest of the frosting to thinly frost the sides of the cake in smooth strokes. If desired, press toasted walnuts or pecans around the sides or on top of the cake. Slice and serve.

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Note: Instead of folding chopped walnuts or pecans into the cake batter, you can lightly toast them at 350 degrees F for 3 to 4 minutes, then press them onto the top or sides of the cake as garnish.