3.3 pounds golden delicious apples cored peeled quartered
0.3 teaspoon salt
0.8 cup sugar
0.3 cup butter unsalted room temperature ()
8 servings whipped cream
Equipment
frying pan
sauce pan
oven
spatula
Directions
Blend first 3 ingredients inprocessor 5 seconds.
Add chilled butterand blend until coarse meal forms.
Addcrème fraîche. Blend, using on/off turns,until moist clumps form. Gather dough intoball; flatten into disk. Wrap; chill 1 hour.
Roll dough out on lightly floured surface to11-inch-diameter round. Slide onto rimlessbaking sheet, cover, and chill until ready touse, up to 1 day.
Boil pomegranate juice inheavy large saucepan until reduced toscant 1 cup syrup, about 15 minutes.DO AHEAD: Pomegranate syrup can bemade 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.
Position rack in center of oven andpreheat to 400°F.
Spread room-temperaturebutter evenly over bottom and up sides ofheavy medium oven-proof skillet (10 inchesacross top; 8 inches across bottom; 21/4inches deep).
Sprinkle sugar evenly overbutter. Cook over medium heat withoutstirring until mixture bubbles all over,about 3 minutes.
Remove from heat. Standapple quarters on 1 end around edge ofskillet, leaning 1 cut edge against pan sideand fitting snugly. Stand as many applesin center as will fit.
Sprinkle apples withallspice and salt.
Cook apples over medium-high heatwithout stirring until thick, deep-ambersyrup bubbles up, adding any remainingapples as space permits (apples will shrinkas they cook), about 20 minutes.
Pour 1/4cup pomegranate syrup over (mixture willbubble). Cook until juices thicken again,4 to 5 minutes (syrup will be deep amber).
Remove from heat.
Using spatula, press apples gentlytoward center, then down to compact. Slidecrust over apples. Press crust down aroundapples at edge of skillet.
Cut 4 slits in topfor steam to escape.
Bake tart until crust is brown andjuices at edge are thick and dark scarlet incolor, 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove skillet fromoven; let stand 1 minute.
Place large plate over skillet. Usingoven mitts and holding plate and skilletfirmly together, invert tart onto plate.Carefully lift off skillet. Return any applesto tart that may be stuck in skillet.
Letcool at least 15 minutes.
Serve tarte
Tatin warm or at room temperature withvanilla ice cream and drizzle of remainingpomegranate syrup.