*Tarta de Manzana Moderna

This Basque version of the French Tarte Tatin is equally tempting and delicious, and because this recipe calls for store bought puff pastry, the preparation is very simple.

1 tsp. unsalted butter
1 cup of sugar
8 tart apples, such as Granny Smith or Fuji, peeled,
cored and cut into 6 wedges
2 sheets commercial puff pastry

Preheat oven to 300 F.
Spread the butter on the bottom and sides of a 10-inch pie plate
In a very heavy sauce pan, cook the sugar over low heat stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for 5 to 6 minutes, until the sugar melts.

Raise the heat slightly, and cook for about 5 minutes longer, washing the sugar crystals down the side of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in a cup of ice water. As soon as the sugar turns a caramel color, pour it into the pie plate, tipping the plate to the sugar covers the bottom and flows up the side. Take care when handling the caramelized sugar; it is very hot.

Lay the apple wedges over the sugar, arranging them so that the broad side lies flat on the bottom in concentric circles. Fill in the gaps with the remaining wedges, narrow sides down, broad sides up. Lay the sheets of puff pastry over the apples, over lapping the sheets. Tuck the pastry at the edge of the pie plate, and trim off the excess
Bake the tart on the center rack of the oven for about an hour, until the crust is golden brown. Set the tart in its pan on a wire rack, and let it rest until the crust is cool; the apples should still be warm. Invert the tart onto a platter, cut into wedges and serve it warm.