1 sheet all-butter puff pastry, about 8 ounces (store-bought is fine)

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

8 to 10 Macintosh apples, peeled, cored and cut in half

Whipped cream, crème fraiche or French vanilla ice cream, to accompany

1. Defrost the puff pastry. Once defrosted, sprinkle a surface with flour and roll out the dough into an 11-inch round so that it will fit over the skillet. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 F. In a non-stick ovenproof 10-inch skillet, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the sugar, and stir until combined, about 2 minutes to make a caramel sauce. It may look a little lumpy.

3. Place the apple halves, standing on their side, in concentric circles around the edge of the pan. They should be close together so that they support one another, standing upright.

4. Place an apple half in the center, using enough apples so that the apples fit very snugly in the pan. Cook the apples and caramel sauce, adjusting the heat to low simmer, for about 12 minutes or until the caramel is dark brown and apples are slightly tender.

5. Place the skillet in the oven for about 5 minutes to cook the apples. Remove with oven mitts, and place on a trivet. Carefully place the pastry dough over the top, using a small knife to tuck the excess pastry into the rim of the skillet. Increase the heat to 450 F, and bake another 20 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and brown.

6. Remove the skillet from the oven with two oven mitts. Let it rest 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pastry and the skillet to make sure it will invert easily. Invert the tart onto a 12-inch platter. Serve warm or room temperature with whipped cream, creme fraiche or French vanilla ice cream.

(Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks, including "Seriously Simple Parties," and a James Beard Award-winning radio show host. You can contact her at www.seriouslysimple.com.)