Birthday Tarte Tatin for the Grand Dame of the Kitchen, Julia Child

Tarte Tatin, a classic from Julia Child
It is simply an upside down tarte where the apples are caramelized in butter and sugar mixture. The home- made pastry dough is a must. Julia wouldn't have that any other way. Of course you can substitute plums, pears, or figs. Bon Appetit and Happy Twirls Julia Child - you were the leader of the world of FOOD TV.
Recipe from The French Chef

1 cup flour (all purpose or pastry)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (4 ounces/1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut in pieces
1/4 cup ice water
6 medium sized tart apples, I used Golden delicious
1-1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 whole lemon, zested and juiced
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1. For the pie crust: (for pictures of making the crust click here) In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar and salt. Add in the butter and cut in with 2 knives, a pastry blender or work the butter through your fingers, massaging it until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pieces no larger than the size of small peas. Drizzle the water over the flour butter mixture and stir with a fork until the water is coating everything. Gather the dough together and press it into a rough ball, don’t really knead it, just gather and flatten once or twice.
2. Flour your board or counter and dump the dough onto it. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and let it sit for 10 minutes. If you’re kitchen is warm you may want to let it do the sitting in the fridge.
3. To roll out: keep the parchment paper on the dough and roll or press the dough into a rough rectangle. There are going to be bits and pieces of dough falling everywhere-its ok, just stick them back in and keep on doing your thing. Fold over one side of the dough into the middle like a letter (see picture-its more like a gather the dough and fold). Cover with parchment again and roll back into a rectangle. Repeat this with all four sides, folding in and rolling out-you don’t need to roll out a lot just enough to make the whole thing look like a rectangle again. By the last fold your dough will come together and look like something you can work with. Then roll it out to 1/4 inch thickness in a 10 inch circle (roughly). Place the dough between layers of plastic wrap and lay it flat in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
4. For the filling: Peel, core and slice the apples into wedges. Slice the apples in half and then cut each half into 4 lengthwise wedges. Place the apples in a large bowl and toss with the lemon zest and juice and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Let the apples sit for about 20 minutes to let excess moisture drain from them.
5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (F). Melt the butter in a 9-10 inch oven-proof skillet. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of sugar over the butter and remove from the heat. Arrange the first layer of apples evenly over the bottom of the skillet, the tart is flipped so this will be the top eventually so make it pretty Once the first layer is down you can continue arranging or spoon the rest of the apples over top. Return the skillet to high heat and cook for about 10-12 minutes, basting the apples periodically until the filling is very bubbly and golden brown-deeper than the color of honey. Remove from the heat.
6. Remove the pie crust from the fridge and place it on top of the hot apples. Carefully trim any excess and tuck the edges around the apples inside the skillet. Cut 4 small steam holes in the top of the crust and place in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown, the filling is very bubbly (and fragrant!) and the apples are tender. Remove from the oven and let the pan sit for a few minutes to settle before flipping it over onto a serving plate. Serve warm with creme fraiche or whipped cream.