I didn't want to make a crust, but I wanted to make a tarte Tatin. I had
six ginger gold apples that I wanted to cook.

Got down the cast iron skillet and melted 3/4 stick of butter in it.
Added 3/4 cup sugar and cooked it until it was bubbling and medium-dark
brown. Stirred with a wooden spoon.

Cut the first three apples into 8ths, chopped the rest (1/2 inch
pieces). When the caramel was smooth from all that stirring, I took the
skillet off the heat and laid the apples in the bottom in a pinwheel
pattern radiating from the center. Dumped in the chopped apples and put
it back on the heat, medium-low. Let it come to a simmer and basted the
apples with the caramel that now had apple juice diluting it. Scooped
the liquid up with a spoon and trickled it over the apples. Cooked that
way for about 20 minutes, until the liquid thickened and became like a
light syrup. Heated the oven to 400°F.

At this point, the normal way to make this kind of "pie" is to put a
crust on top of the skillet and bake it for maybe 20 minutes. I
remembered that apple charlottes are made by lining the mold with slices
of bread. Five slices of whole wheat bread, buttered on both sides just
covered the skillet (looked like a flower, petals radiating from the
center). They stuck out over the edge, so I tucked them in along the
skillet sides. Sprinkled sugar on the bread and baked for about 17
minutes. Put a platter on top of the skillet and flipped the whole thing
over so it would plop out and be an upside-down pie. Some few apples
stuck to the skillet (I've never made one where that didn't happen, and
virtually every recipe I've ever seen for it says that. No biggie. Scoop
any stuck apple out of the skillet and drop it into place. Voila.

It was grand. The apples are wonderful for cooking. It was a glorious
red-brown from the apples darkening and the caramel adding its color.

The bread was wonderful used this way. I actually liked it better than
the traditional crust.

Pastorio