Tarte Tatin is a classic French dessert. It sounds pretty fancy because of it's name, however I'll let you in on a little secret, it's actually very easy to make! With the sweet caramel, buttery puff pastry and fresh spiced fruit flavour, this tart is definitely a family favourite in our home.
Tarte Tatin, as it has minimal ingredients, is always best with fresh, seasonal fruit. My neighbour has a pear tree and I am the lucky recipient of his pears annually. I use his pears in baking, as well as for display. When baking, the first recipe I reach for to use them, is this tart.
If you can't find fresh pears, but have access to fresh apples, this is a perfect dessert for them as well (see Recipe Note below for more on substituting apples).
I hope this Tarte Tatin become a favourite in your home now too!
Enjoy,
Krista
Pear Tarte Tatin
makes 1, 10" skillet
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
6-8 large pears, peeled, cored and cut into quarters or halves depending on size (my pears were mini, so I used about 16 pears, cut into halves)*
1 sheet of thawed all-butter puff pastry
Method
Heat oven to 400 degrees. In an oven-safe skillet over medium heat, melt butter spreading along bottom and sides of skillet. Remove skillet from heat.
In a separate bowl, mix dark brown sugar, cinnamon and pinch of salt. Spoon sugar mixture evenly on bottom of skillet and drizzle with lemon juice. Then, arrange pear halves (or quarters) cut side up, overlapping slightly into rings working from the outside toward the centre. The pears will shrink as they cook, so it's okay to pack them in.
Place skillet in pre-heated over, allowing pears to heat through and begin to soften for 15-18 minutes undisturbed. Every once in a while, using a heat-proof spoon, drizzle newly melted caramel over the top of the pears.
While pears are cooking, roll and cut thawed puff pastry to an 11" circle.
Once pears are heated through and caramel is formed, remove skillet from the over and carefully drape puff pastry over top of pears, tucking in along the edges. Dock top of puff pastry with a fork.
Return skillet to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes more, or until the puff pastry has browned.
Remove tarte tatin from the oven and run a knife along the edges of the tart to prevent sticking. Allow tart to cool for 10 minutes.
Once tart has cooled slightly, place an upside down plate on top of skillet and flip tart skillet so that the plate is now on the bottom and the tart has been released from the skillet, pear side up. This last step can get a bit messy if your caramel is more on the liquid side, so I always flip the tart over the sink.
Recipe Notes:
* Tarte Tatin is traditionally made with apples. Feel free to substitute pears with a combination of tart and sweet apples. I like to use a mixture of granny smith and honey crisp apples.
* Spices - feel free to change the spices depending on the season, or your mood! The addition or any combo of; nutmeg, grated ginger, cinnamon sticks and cardamom are all excellent choices.
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