I always said I was never a baker. I still don’t consider myself one, but that doesn’t mean I don’t try every now and again.

And while there is a very long list of Things I Have Not Attempted to Make, I can cross pie crust off the list. To be fair, this is more of an apple tart than an apple pie, but it still requires making the base from scratch. You can cheat and use frozen-puff pastry—and honestly, I almost did—but I don’t think I have to tell you that won’t be quite the same labor of love.

I was amazed and astounded that my pie crust turned out wonderfully.

I say this to all would-be bakers or cooks who are skittish about baking: Don’t be. Baking isn’t easy; it’s more like chemistry than anything because there aren’t many flexible rules. Regardless, you should try to bake something, anything. I find a good benchmark for baking (at least to me) is to think of something you really like to eat and attempt to make it. I mean, look at the Brownie Experiment. I made three different recipes and only one of them was worth a damn, but I am so glad I did so.

Tarte Tatin

For the dough:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces

2 to 4 tbl. ice water

For the filling:

2 to 4 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and cored

2 tsp. lemon juice

3 tbl. unsalted butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1 tbl. granulated sugar

For the glaze (optional):

1 tbl. unsalted butter

3 tbl. granulated sugar

2 tbl. calvados (apple brandy)

To make the dough: Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl of a food processor. Add the butter pieces and process for about 8 to 10 seconds. With the food processor running, add the ice water in a steady stream through the feed tube. Process until the dough forms a ball, about 30 seconds. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

To make the filling: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the apples into 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch slices. Put them in a bowl and toss them with lemon juice.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter with the brown sugar. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and apple slices. Cook the apples for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they become tender and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Sprinkle the sugar into a 9- or10-inch buttered glass pie plate. Arrange the apple slices in the pie plate.

Roll out the chilled dough on a floured countertop (or between 2 sheets of parchment paper) to about 1/8-inch thickness, then place it over the apples. Trim off any excess dough, then tuck the dough down inside the edge of the pie plate. Prick the dough 4 or 5 times with a fork to allow steam to be released.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Allow the tart to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pie plate to loosen the tart. Place a serving plate over the tart and carefully invert the tart onto the serving plate.

To make the glaze: Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the sugar. Add the calvados and heat for about 3 minutes.

Drizzle tart with glaze, if desired, and serve warm.

Last night we had our neighbors Louise and Florent over for dinner. They are a kindly couple who live next door and gladly watch our cats for us when we go out of town because they too are cat people. For some reason, I always see dinner parties as a sort of a challenge and not the relaxing events they should be. I think this is part because I get anxious about whether or not I can see to my guests’ dietary needs or if they will want dessert and port afterwards as we sit idly at the table, discussing wheat futures. Usually I am still busy in the kitchen when guests arrive so I have to rely on the LSC to make the small talk and pour the wine while I am finishing up. Of course, there is also my weird need to impress culinarily. I often forget that most dinner guests are satisfied with simplicity as they are really there to see you and not the food. One day I’ll get that through my thick skull.

A few notes about this dish. The recipe originally called for crawfish, but seeing as how I got something of a blank stare from the LSC when I asked if crawfish were available locally, I subbed shrimp instead. Also I don’t think I simmered the cream sauce long enough because it never quite got that velvety thick consistency I was looking for. Thankfully the pasta absorbed it nicely and no one could tell the difference.

Crawfish or Shrimp Alfredo

2 tbl. unsalted butter, divided

3 cloves garlic, minced, divided

2/3 cup white wine

2 3/4 cups heavy cream, divided

1 tsp. Cajun seasoning, divided

1 lb. fettucine or other pasta

1  1/2 cups seafood or chicken broth

12 oz. crawfish tail meat or shrimp, tails attached

2 tsp. Cajun seasoning

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 teaspoon butter. Add about 2 cloves of the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and 2 cups cream. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Add Cajun seasoning, or season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook the pasta to al dente, drain and set aside. (Can be made up to 24 hours ahead. Store covered in the refrigerator.)

In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat and add the remaining garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the seafood or chicken broth and the crawfish. Bring to a boil, then add the remaining cream. When it comes to a boil, add remaining 2 teaspoons of butter and the reduced cream mixture. Stir in the Cajun seasoning, or season to taste wtih salt and pepper. Stir in the cooked pasta. Bring once again to a simmer, cook 15 seconds, then remove from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and serve.