Tarte Tatin is a delicious French classic dessert made traditionally with apples. It consists of apples caramelised in butter and sugar cooked upside-down, with pastry. Legend has it that the recipe was born in a guest house run by the Tatin sisters; one had left her apples cooking too long and, when alerted to this by the burning smell, attempted to rescue the dish by quickly topping it with pastry and cooking it in the oven – with pleasing results!
There is a bit of debate with Tarte Tatin over the pastry – some, like Julia Child, opt for Shortcrust, others, like Raymond Blanc, urge puff. Which you pick is up to you – for this recipe I have chosen puff as I like the rich, butteryness it brings to the dish.
You can make Tarte Tatin with a variety of different fruits, like apple, pineapple, rhubarb or even prune. For this recipe I chose pears because I found some wonderful ones in my local fruit and vegetable shop that were crying out for eating. I chose rosemary to pair them with (there’s a pun in there :p) to add a more complex, floral note. The result is rich, gooey, decadent fun. Serve with a chantilly cream (cream with vanilla) or a vanilla or brandy icecream.
There is a bit of debate with Tarte Tatin over the pastry – some, like Julia Child, opt for Shortcrust, others, like Raymond Blanc, urge puff. Which you pick is up to you – for this recipe I have chosen puff as I like the rich, butteryness it brings to the dish.
You can make Tarte Tatin with a variety of different fruits, like apple, pineapple, rhubarb or even prune. For this recipe I chose pears because I found some wonderful ones in my local fruit and vegetable shop that were crying out for eating. I chose rosemary to pair them with (there’s a pun in there :p) to add a more complex, floral note. The result is rich, gooey, decadent fun. Serve with a chantilly cream (cream with vanilla) or a vanilla or brandy icecream.
Recipe:
Ingredients (Serves 6-8):
8 pears, not too ripe, cored, peeled and halved
100g unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 stalks rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
3 green cardamom pods, cracked
500g all butter puff pastry
Sea salt
Method:
1. Heat an oven to 200 Celsius. Tip the butter, sugar, cinnamon and cardamom into an oven proof frying pan about 20cm in diameter. See below for what to do if you don’t have an oven proof frying pan. Heat over high heat until it separates and the sugar caramelises to a toffee brown colour.
2. Lay the pears in the pan, sprinkle over the rosemary and cook for 10-12 minutes until richly caramelised and brown, turning occasionally. Don’t worry about it burning, it won’t.
3. Remove from the heat, season with a pinch of sea salt and allow to cool slightly. Remove the cardamom pods. Roll out the pastry to about the thickness of a 2 pound coin. Put a plate that is just about bigger than the pan on the pastry and cut round it.
4. Lay the cinnamon stick in the middle of the frying pan at the bottom so that it is in the middle at the top when the tart is turned out. Arrange the pears attractively in the pan cut sides up, perhaps in a circle with the fat ends of the pears outwards, thin edges pointing in, with another similar circle within the larger one and a central pear in the middle.
5. Lay the pastry over the pan and tuck the edges down into the pan and around the pears with a spoon so that it hugs the fruit and keeps the tart compact. Poke a few holes in the top of the pastry.
6. Place in the oven for 15 minutes. Then pour off an excess juices, so that the pastry doesn’t get soggy. Reduce the heat to 180 Celsius and bake for another 15 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
7. Put a large plate on top of the pan and carefully flip the pan over, to turn the pie out onto the plate. Serve with cream or ice-cream.
NB – if you don’t have an oven-proof frying pan, don’t worry. Saute your pears in a normal frying pan and then transfer, in a nice pattern, into a 20cm flan case or circular oven proof dish and put the pastry over this to cook.
Ingredients (Serves 6-8):
8 pears, not too ripe, cored, peeled and halved
100g unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 stalks rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
3 green cardamom pods, cracked
500g all butter puff pastry
Sea salt
Method:
1. Heat an oven to 200 Celsius. Tip the butter, sugar, cinnamon and cardamom into an oven proof frying pan about 20cm in diameter. See below for what to do if you don’t have an oven proof frying pan. Heat over high heat until it separates and the sugar caramelises to a toffee brown colour.
2. Lay the pears in the pan, sprinkle over the rosemary and cook for 10-12 minutes until richly caramelised and brown, turning occasionally. Don’t worry about it burning, it won’t.
3. Remove from the heat, season with a pinch of sea salt and allow to cool slightly. Remove the cardamom pods. Roll out the pastry to about the thickness of a 2 pound coin. Put a plate that is just about bigger than the pan on the pastry and cut round it.
4. Lay the cinnamon stick in the middle of the frying pan at the bottom so that it is in the middle at the top when the tart is turned out. Arrange the pears attractively in the pan cut sides up, perhaps in a circle with the fat ends of the pears outwards, thin edges pointing in, with another similar circle within the larger one and a central pear in the middle.
5. Lay the pastry over the pan and tuck the edges down into the pan and around the pears with a spoon so that it hugs the fruit and keeps the tart compact. Poke a few holes in the top of the pastry.
6. Place in the oven for 15 minutes. Then pour off an excess juices, so that the pastry doesn’t get soggy. Reduce the heat to 180 Celsius and bake for another 15 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
7. Put a large plate on top of the pan and carefully flip the pan over, to turn the pie out onto the plate. Serve with cream or ice-cream.
NB – if you don’t have an oven-proof frying pan, don’t worry. Saute your pears in a normal frying pan and then transfer, in a nice pattern, into a 20cm flan case or circular oven proof dish and put the pastry over this to cook.
Lovely bubbling juices, pre-pears
caramelised pears
cooked pastry on top
