Tarte tatin feels like an upscale version of pie, but is actually even easier. Although it's often made with apples, this version uses pears and pecans along with a dreamy salted caramel sauce used for baking and topping.
There are few tricks to making this tarte tatin perfect. Be sure to use pears that are still on the firmer side, because if you use pears that are too soft they will breakdown as the tarte bakes. If you don't have a oven-proof skillet, you can transfer the caramel once done to a 9 or 10-inch cake pan. You also want to avoid underbaking. I've found that even as the top is starting to brown, the underside of the pastry will not be fully cooked yet, so you will want to take it to a deeper brown to make sure the underside is cooked.
Pear and Pecan Tarte Tatin
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup heavy cream, room temperature
- ½-1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, to taste
- 4 firm but ripe pears, peeled and cut into thick slices
- ⅔ cup pecans, toasted
- 1 puff pastry sheet (about 8-9 ounces)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a 10 inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat, add sugar. Heat, and once sugar begins to melt, stir constantly. Sugar will clump but then melt and start to turn a yellow and then golden brown color. Once sugar is melted, smooth, and golden brown, turn heat off and add butter, stirring quickly to combine (mixture may bubble up, but just keep stirring until well combined). Drizzle in heavy creamy, stirring constantly for about 30-60 seconds. Stir in salt.
- Remove about ¼ to ⅓ of the caramel sauce, and reserve for serving. To the remaining caramel in the skillet, add pears and pecans. Stir to coat and arrange in a nice even layer.
- On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry slightly until a bit thinner and large enough to cover pear and caramel layer. Cut into a large circle that is a little wider than your skillet. Gently drape over the top, tucking pastry around the pears at the edge of the pan. Bake in preheated oven for about 35-45 minutes, until pastry is cooked through fully and deeply browned on top. Let cool for 20 minutes, and carefully then invert onto a serving dish. Serve with reserved caramel.
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