Rotten to the Core (37 page)

Transfer the roast to a carving board, remove the twine, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 15 minutes (center of loin should register about 150° on instant-read thermometer). With a slotted spoon, remove the onions and apples to a serving platter, cover loosely with foil, and set aside.

Bring the liquid in the skillet to a boil, and continue boiling until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice, parsley, and any accumulated juices from the onions and apples and the meat. Stir to mix, taste the sauce, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.

Cut the meat into half-inch slices and arrange over the onions and apples on the serving platter. Pour the sauce over the meat and serve at once, with boiled potatoes.

This is the classic French dessert that Meg enjoys at the bistro in Amherst. There are those who think that it’s too difficult or too unpredictable to make at home, but the caramelized flavor makes it worth the effort.

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Quarter, core, and peel the apples. Cut them into 1/8- inch slices. Toss the slices in a bowl with the
cup of the sugar (and the cinnamon, if you like). You should have about 10 cups of apples.

Butter the baking dish heavily. Sprinkle half the remaining sugar evenly in the bottom, and arrange
of the apples over it (this should be fairly neat, since it will become the top of the dessert at the end). Sprinkle with
of the melted butter. Repeat, making three layers of apples (these layers can be messier). Sprinkle the rest of the sugar on top.

Roll out the pastry to ⅛-inch thick, cut into a circle, and lay it over the apples, keeping the edges inside the pan. Cut a few holes for steam.

Bake in the lower third of the preheated oven for 45- 60 minutes, covering the edges of the crust with foil if they are browning too quickly. The tart is cooked when the liquid has begun to thicken to a deep brown syrup and bubbles up around the edges (here’s where choosing the right kind of apple makes a difference—you don’t want them to be too soupy).

Now, here’s the fun part (you can skip this if you’re worried). Remove the tart from the oven and set it over medium-high heat on the stove top. Shake regularly so that the apples will not stick to the bottom. Continue until almost all the liquid has evaporated.

Take an ovenproof platter and hold it over the top of the skillet, then reverse the tart onto the platter. If all the stars align, all the apples should stay in place, beautifully caramelized. If they look a little pale, you can sprinkle the top with a layer of confectioners’ sugar and run it under a broiler for a few minutes (watching carefully!).

And if you get a jumbled mess of apples on a crust—it will still taste wonderful! Just add some ice cream or whipped cream to it and call it a French crumble.