So even though I hate peeling them, apple season is my favourite thing about fall (I’ll actually be taking my little girl apple picking at Chudleigh’s this weekend, which is always a hit!)  Needless to say, this month's Cooking Club Challenge caught my eye as it’s basically a pile of baked apples on some puff pastry.  Can’t get better than that! 

Quick summary:  I really enjoyed making Ricardo's Mini 'Tatin' Apple Tarts and I think, if you like apples, you’ll really enjoy making and eating these as well.  But having said that, I, like many of you who’ve already commented, also found them to be really too sweet for my taste, and I would try them again with a few minor modifications.

INGREDIENTS
Highlights:I did manage to get some fresh Ontario Royal Galla apples, some organic butter and gourmet puff pastry right on my street!  The world is changing…(not to flaunt it or anything, but it’s really, really nice to have such resources within walking distance.)
Didn’t but could have: Just as I laid everything out to get started, I realized I was out of brown sugar.  I usually like to substitute brown (preferably organic) for white sugar whenever possible, and this would have been the perfect time to do so. 

PREPARATION
Peeling apples sucks, but if you can do it well, a little secret pride blooms inside you, especially when you can get that extra-long peel happening.  I can’t peel to save my life, and as for the cutting, I found my apple chunks to be a little too chunky, which made it hard to pack them densely/evenly into the muffin pan.  I would suggest cutting them just a tad smaller than instructed.
Pastry: Assuming you aren’t gong to make your own puff pastry, most of the ready-made stuff comes nearly frozen, so lay it out for about half an hour so that it can soften up for rolling.  When rolling, always sprinkle some flour on the board and rolling pin to avoid sticking.

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Here’s where I would suggest some deviation: If you’re going to use sugar when stewing the apples in a skillet (some people may choose none at all), then I would use brown sugar and bring it down to half a cup.  I used a cup of white sugar as directed and it was much too sweet for me, especially with the ice cream and caramel sauce to boot.  I would try reducing the water amount as well – fresh apples are so juicy, they yield a lot of liquid when in the pan, and I found there was almost too much juice when the apples were stewing.
Caramel sauce: As you may be able to tell from my photos, my caramel sauce turned out a little light.  I think I got a bit impatient and didn’t let the sugar brown enough in the pan.  Here, again, I would suggest using brown sugar, both to reduce the sweetness and to help with that rich caramel colour.
Clarification: The mysterious "...parchment paper on the baking sheet" instruction, I took to mean as protection for the baking sheet, in case any of the sugary apple mass bubbled over the muffin pan.  If it did spill onto the baking sheet, it would probably have hardened to a calcified fossil, making for an ugly scrubbing job.  Just make sure you cut the parchment paper slightly smaller than the baking sheet to avoid contact with the oven.

PLATING
Here’s what I did: I took another baking sheet, put some parchment paper down, flipped it over to cover the cooling pan of tarts, and then flipped the muffin pan over, ending with the tarts pastry lid down.  When pulling the muffin pan off to reveal the golden mountain of apple chunks it smelled amazing! It’s unavoidable that some will tumble.  Don’t be afraid to get in there with your freshly washed hands to pile those apple chunks right back on top of the tart.  
Suggestion: With a dessert like this, it would probably be best if it was individually plated, giving you a chance to fix it, while saving your guests the sticky fingers of mussling a tart onto their own plate off a serving platter.
The ice cream sat surprising well on top of the tart and I think my favourite part was pouring the sauce as a finishing touch.  

In the end, I did manage to finish half of a tart before my teeth started to ache from the sugar content, but luckily, I had a backup plan –  the neighbours’ kids!  Their parents may not have appreciated it, but the kids sure did!  And at least I asked if they had already had dinner.

From the left; Neighbours' kids eating tarts; Elana (me).

Good luck with your tarts, and let me know how it goes!