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Pear Tarte Tatin

8/2/2012

 

Pear Tarte Tatin

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Tarte Tatin is 'an ancient specialty of Sologne', according to Larousse Gastronomique

Tarte Tatin was a dish I first tasted many years ago, when I invited the owner of a local Pialligo orchard to come and present a class at my cooking school. Having grown up with my Hungarian mother's strudel and beigli, brioche and Gerbeaud slice, kifli and carnival doughnuts, I was amazed at how such a simple-to-prepare, upside-down dessert could taste so absolutely divine.

I have since road tested several recipes for Tarte Tatin, including one by Lorenza De Medici from her beautiful coffee table book, A Passion for Fruit. De Medici's recipe seems to offer a simpler process in the caramelisation of the sugar and, although I am a fan of her cooking, the results in my kitchen have not been as favourable as this one adapted in part from The Art of the Tart by expert cook and food writer, Tamasin Day-Lewis. There is slightly less butter, which leaves room for a little dollop of creamy indulgence on top, methinks.

We time-poor modern cooks are blessed with the availability of good quality, ready-made puff pastry. I prefer puff to shortcrust for Tarte Tatin, but if you would like to make shortcrust pastry, you will find a Day-Lewis recipe here. I have chosen pears over apples, as they are such good eating right now.

PEAR TARTE TATIN
1/2 cup (90g) vanilla infused caster sugar
60g unsalted cultured butter
2-3 small pears
juice of a lemon
1-11/2 sheets ready made puff pastry, thawed
cracked pepper, to finish

Keep the pastry covered with a slightly damp, clean tea towel as you work. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F. Sprinkle the sugar in a layer over the base of a heavy, oven-proof frying pan and heat it gently. *Day-Lewis suggests: 'Watch it all the time, as some bits will brown before others. You want the sugar to melt to a dark brown liquid all over without burning. On no account stir it, just shake the pan and turn it as you need to redistribute the sugar. Remove from the heat and immediately add tiny bits of butter, about a third of the 60g, over the sugar. It will bubble instantly'. Set the pan aside for a moment.

Then, peel the pears and cut them into halves. Remove the cores with a melon baller. Place the pears onto a dinner plate and squeeze the lemon juice all over them, making sure the pieces are well covered. This will prevent them from quickly browning. Arrange the pears over the top of the caramel in the pan. Dot with the remaining butter and place the pan over a gentle heat to start it cooking. Remove from the heat.

Cut the puff pastry to a circle, slightly larger than the frying pan you are using. Blanket it over the top of the pears and tuck it down the sides to seal the pears and the caramel in. Pop the pan into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until nicely golden. Remove the pan from the oven and leave it to cool for 10-15 minutes, then cover the pan with a serving plate and flip the tart over onto the plate. 'The fruit should look glossily, gloopily burnished', says Day-Lewis. Add a sprinkle of cracked pepper and et voila. Serves 2-4.

*The instructions are fairly specific in parts, hence I am quoting Day-Lewis verbatim, see italics.
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Peel the pears and cut them in half. Remove the cores with a melon baller.
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Sprinkle the sugar in a thin layer across the base of an oven proof pan
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Place the pears, cut side up, in the pan (over the caramel)
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Pop the blanket of pastry over the pears and tuck it in around the sides
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Add a sprinkle of cracked pepper - et voila! Serve with a dollop of cream, home made vanilla bean ice cream, or a good quallity yoghurt, such as Country Valley Dairy. Yum.
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The Food Sage link
7/2/2012 07:52:39 pm

Once again, Lizzy, a wonderful, informative post with great photographs that makes me want to go straight out and make tarte tatin. Must confess, i've never actually made one. But under your supervision here, i'm tempted to give one a try this weekend.
I can almost taste that caramelisation from here. You captured that really well in the shot. Love your work!

Lizzy
7/2/2012 08:07:42 pm

Rachel, thank you for your very kind comments.... oh, you must give this a try! So yummy... take care not to burn yourself on the caramel, especially when inverting the pan! Happy cooking.

Amanda link
7/2/2012 08:12:13 pm

Oh Lizzy that looks divine! I love apple tarte tatin and extravagantly bought a dedicated pan for it. I like to kid myself that the goodness of the fruit out-weighs the fat and sugar. :-o

Lizzy
7/2/2012 08:57:37 pm

Hi Amanda... a dedicated tarte tatin pan is a worthy investment! Ha ha ha re the sugar and fat... all good things in moderation!

Barbara link
7/2/2012 09:59:59 pm

Amanda I bought a proper tartine copper pan a couple of years ago. I also find it perfect for clafoutis.

Lizzy
7/2/2012 10:04:11 pm

I sold those when I co-owned the cookware store. People were quite reluctant to splurge on them... they are rather magnificent. I use my enamelled cast iron pan. Clafoutis... now you are talking my language!

Barbara link
7/2/2012 08:26:52 pm

Beautiful Lizzy. I remember my first Tarte Tartine. It was a recipe I came across called apple tart and I made it for years. One day a friends Italian mother said "that is the best Tarte Tartine I have ever eaten". That was the first time I had even heard the term.

Lizzy
7/2/2012 08:37:34 pm

Thanks Barb! Interesting to hear how you first discovered tarte tatin. As one who grew up on strudel, jam filled doughnuts, beigli, gerbeaud slice and so on, tarte tatin was certainly new and foreign to me. Having been introduced it to it years ago, I love it so!

Lizzy
8/2/2012 11:30:26 pm

Barb, your pear salad is absolutely STUNNING! You are my kind of foodie friend xox

Tenille @ My Family Table link
7/2/2012 09:34:18 pm

I've not made a tarte tatin before either, but I'm dying to now. And I definitely agree that puff pastry is the better option. With a great big dollop of homemade vanilla bean ice-cream *drool*

Lizzy
7/2/2012 10:01:50 pm

Hello Tenille... that sounds delicious!

Jane @ Shady Baker link
7/2/2012 10:21:40 pm

Another delicious, informative post! Thanks Lizzy. I have not made Tarte Tatin before but this might just tempt me :)

Lizzy
7/2/2012 10:24:08 pm

Hi Jane... wow! I am blown away that a few of my favourite readers/fellow cooks and bloggers haven't made tarte tatin! I don't feel so silly for not discovering it sooner myself until about the late 1990s I think. Give it a go, you are going to love it!

Winston link
7/2/2012 10:47:34 pm

OHHH MYYY GOODNESSS, Lizzy. Tarte Tartin is hands down my favourite French desserts of all time! And I've always found that Pear marries the dessert perfectly well. Unfortunately, I've never attempted it myself because (I'll be honest...) I was quite daunted by it. But your step by step photos and instructions is huge help. I need to borrow a frying pan like that to make this soon... Thanks again, I really love it! =D

Lizzy
7/2/2012 10:50:23 pm

Winston... really?! Wow... what are you waiting for... grab a frypan and do it! Thanks for popping in!

Liz link
7/2/2012 11:19:40 pm

Oh, gosh, my mouth is watering at the sight of this caramelized beauty!!! YUM!

Lizzy
8/2/2012 06:30:27 am

Hello there Skinny Liz!! Mine is too, I need to bake another tonight! The pears are beautiful eating here in Australia at the moment. Thanks for popping in!

celia link
8/2/2012 06:23:36 am

Lizzy, that is a most gorgeous pear tart! I love the elegant layout!

Lizzy
8/2/2012 06:30:51 am

Thank you Celia!

Hotly Spiced link
8/2/2012 09:58:28 am

You have cooked my favourite dessert. And done it so well. It looks gorgeous. Just love the colour of all that caramelisation.

Lizzy
8/2/2012 02:06:52 pm

Hiya... isn't it just delicious. Wow, so many people love a good tarte tatin!

Anna @ The Littlest Anchovy link
8/2/2012 10:01:57 am

What a beautiful tart Lizzy! Ihave never made a tart tatin before, you have inspired me!

Lizzy
8/2/2012 02:07:22 pm

Ah, Anna... Let me know how you go... very good eating!

Anna @ The Littlest Anchovy link
8/2/2012 08:21:00 pm

I will! :)

InTolerant Chef link
8/2/2012 10:40:24 am

Yummmm, I'll have a piece with that cuppa you offered me! Earl Grey with a dash of milk thanks :)

Lizzy
8/2/2012 02:07:36 pm

Coming right up!

Monica link
8/2/2012 06:24:12 pm

Looks wonderful! Pear is so underrated in baking. You made it a star here :D

Lizzy
8/2/2012 11:22:14 pm

Monica, you are so right... pears are indeed underrated... and not just in baking! So true. Thank you for your kind words!

Jennifer link
8/2/2012 07:47:59 pm

Looks divine Lizzy!! I love that little frying pan of yours. I need one! I only have huge ones so I usually end up putting everything into ramekins to make individual tarte tatin's.

Lizzy
8/2/2012 08:41:17 pm

Hi Jen, that pan is about nine inches across... perfect size for this tarte!

A Canadian Foodie link
9/2/2012 12:41:55 pm

This looks deadly delish! Oh MY! I have made apple tartin a few times - and even sat in a little cafe in the very French town it was theoretically "invented" in and ate a slice of it there all by myself. I would love to say it was heaven. The day was, but the slice was just too touristy and not rustic enough... not what I expected at all. However, when I have made my own, I get it. So deadly with creme fraiche. I will have to try this one next summer - OR with my canned apricots! That would probably make the ones I canned in Thyme delicious.
:)
Valerie

Lizzy
9/2/2012 06:53:48 pm

Hello lovely Valeria from Canada... that sounds divine... I would love to have eaten Tarte Tatin in France... one for the bucket list methinks. Your preserved apricots would be wonderful!!! Thanks for stopping by.

Claire @ Claire K Creations link
9/2/2012 05:52:36 pm

Wow I never knew these were so easy to make (well you make it look easy anyway). It looks so pretty.

Lizzy
9/2/2012 06:54:25 pm

Claire... the first time I saw tarte tatin made, I was blown away by the simplicity in preparation, as well as the taste. Thank you for your kind words!

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella link
10/2/2012 10:40:43 am

Ahh decadent lusciousness tarte tatin you always win my heart! Beautiful job Lizzy!

Lizzy
10/2/2012 06:23:37 pm

Thank you, lovely!

Katherine Martinelli link
10/2/2012 10:29:32 pm

Yum! I absolutely love tarte tatins - they are so elegant and delicious! And I love that this version calls for pre made puff pastry, my favorite ingredient :-)

Lizzy
11/2/2012 08:50:49 am

Hello Katherine, I do prefer puff to shortcrust for a tatin... and in this very busy age, we are blessed with the availability of the ready made puff!

Mandy - The Complete Cook Book link
13/2/2012 07:24:50 pm

Quite simply - Heavenly!
:-) Mandy

Lizzy
16/2/2012 11:19:25 am

Thank you Mandy!!!

Tammi link
15/2/2012 12:26:14 am

Mmm love a good tarte tartin! And so simple too!

Love the photos.

Lizzy
15/2/2012 06:05:37 am

Thanks Tammi for your kind words. I love a good tarte tatin too.

Misk Cooks link
18/2/2012 07:58:57 am

That is one beautiful photograph, and I can almost taste your lovely tart. Yum!

Lizzy
18/2/2012 09:59:01 am

Hello there Misk! You are so very kind, thank you! This is one beautiful tart. Thank you for being an inspiration.

Andrea
29/1/2016 06:17:57 pm

I adore tart tatin and have only used apples, I'll have to try it with pear now Lizzy especially as the pears I get from the orchards out my way are so yummy!! Xx


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    Üdvözölöm
    Photo of Liz Posmyk, Food Writer, Cook and Traveller

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