Tarte Tatin is basically an upside down apple pie. It supposedly was invented at the Hotel Tatin: one of the Tatin sisters got distracted by conversation with a guest and forgot to make dessert; she tossed some apples in a pan with butter and sugar then threw some pastry dough on top; to make it more appealing she flipped it over; the guests loved it and the rest is history.*
The pastry dough I used in this recipe is my mom's. It's simple but tasty.