Pear tarte Tatin

Pear tarte Tatin – making the most of autumn fruit before the first rhubarb appears. Absolutely delicious. Crisp, flaky pastry, fragrant pears in a caramel sauce and a touch of cinnamon. There is really nothing more to say – it is simply delicious.

Ingredients for the pear tarte Tatin:

• 1 sheet of all-butter puff pastry (approx. 320 g)
• 200 g caster sugar
• 50 ml water
• 50 g butter
• 7 Conference pears
• cinnamon and thick soured cream, to serve

Peel the pears, cut them in half and remove the cores.

Place the sugar and water in a cast-iron or metal frying pan with a 23 cm base diameter. Heat over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved (do not stir). Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat and cook for 5 minutes, or until the caramel turns a deep golden colour, taking care not to burn it. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add the butter; stir to combine (the caramel will foam up). Arrange the pears over the caramel so that they slightly overlap, cut side up, with the pointed ends facing towards the centre. Place the pan back on the hob, reduce the heat to low and cook the pears for approximately 15 minutes (depending on how ripe the pears are; they must not fall apart), or until the pears are lightly caramelised underneath. Turn off the heat and leave to cool slightly.

Lightly dust the worktop with flour. Cut a circle from the puff pastry the same diameter as the pan and place it over the pears, gently tucking the pastry down around the sides. Make a small cut in the very centre of the pastry.

Bake at 200°C for approximately 35–40 minutes, until the pastry is fully baked and golden. Once baked, leave to stand for approximately 5 minutes, then loosen the edges from the pan with a knife and carefully invert onto a serving plate so that the fruit is on top. Before transferring it to the serving plate, you can pour off any excess caramel sauce and drizzle it over the tart at the end.

Serve warm, for example with a dollop of soured cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Enjoy!