John has a long, sordid history with flipping. Flipping desserts that is. Our group of friends will never forget the sweet potato spice cake he tried to replicate from O Magazine. What had happened was… instead of picturesque slices of sweet potatoes (in concentric circles, mind you) drizzled with a glimmering, sweet glaze, John plopped something out of the pan that resembled an undercooked meatloaf. This happened two more times. Same recipe. Same result.
While the “meatloaf cake” will never be forgotten, and almost spawned a new segment: “John’s Dessert Disasters”, it did inspire an effort to redeem himself. John had the brilliant idea to concoct little apple tarts that you flip out of a muffin pan.
Result: just smaller undercooked meatloaf looking blobs.
Luckily, this latest failure led to this recipe: a lighthearted take on classic tarte tatin. It is delicious and incorporates nice apple, caramel, and salty flavors that will make that chubby little person inside you want to do a cartwheel! Or at least a “hallelujah hand”. Hardcore fans of apple pie and even those opposed find common ground with this delicious dessert. Also, ‘tarte tatin’ is WAY more fun to say than ‘apple pie.’
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel, core, and slice apples into 1″-sized pieces. Set aside. Next, using a food processor with the blade attachment, pulse the pretzels until they are about the consistency of cornmeal. Meanwhile, melt 3/4 cups butter. In a medium bowl, combine the pretzels, melted butter, and eggs. Melt butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once it is melted, slowly whisk in the sugar. Once it begins to foam, arrange the apples in a tight, single layer on the bottom of the skillet. Increase the heat slightly and allow the skillet to remain until the caramel is a nice dark, golden color, 7-10 minutes. Resist the urge to stir, although you may have to rotate the pan slightly if one side is caramelizing faster than another. Once completely caramelized, remove from the heat source and let sit for about 10 minutes. Once it has cooled slightly, drop and spread the pretzel mixture over the top. Make sure it is completely covered. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until crust is somewhat set and starting to brown at the edges. Remove skillet, and let cool for at least 15 minutes. Carefully place a serving dish over top of the skillet and flip over. Top with ice cream or whipped cream.
serves 8