Tarte Tatin is a French pie in which the fruit is caramelised right in the frying pan, covered with pastry, baked and only then turned over. In autumn it is most often made with apples or pears.

The recipe was shared by food writer Iryna Chornii on her blog European Cuisine with Iryna Chornii.

The author recommends ripe but firm pears. The shortcrust can be replaced with puff pastry if you like, and a pinch of cinnamon or cardamom can be added to the caramelised pears.

What you need

For the pastry:

  • egg yolks — 2;
  • sugar — 3 tbsp;
  • soft butter — 100 g;
  • baking powder — 1 tsp;
  • sour cream — 1 tbsp;
  • flour — 130 g.

For the filling:

  • ripe pears — 1–1.5 kg;
  • butter — 125 g;
  • sugar — 150 g.

How to make it

1. Make the pastry. Sift the flour with the baking powder into a bowl, add the sugar and soft butter and rub everything into crumbs. Add the sour cream and yolks, knead a soft dough, shape it into a disc, cover with cling film and leave for half an hour.

Shortcrust pastry for the tatinPhoto: Iryna Chornii / European Cuisine with Iryna Chornii
Shortcrust pastry for the tatin

2. Prepare the pears. Choose ripe but not too soft pears so they do not fall apart in the caramel. Wash and peel them, cut in half and remove the core and stem.

The pears are peeled and halvedPhoto: Iryna Chornii / European Cuisine with Iryna Chornii
The pears are peeled and halved

3. Roll out the pastry. Roll the pastry into a thin round to match the diameter of the pan and put it in the fridge: it should be well chilled when it goes over the hot pears.

4. Make the caramel. Heat the oven to 220 °C. In a large frying pan with a metal handle or a special dish, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar, turn up the heat and stir slowly in a circle until the caramel turns a deep brown. Dark caramel is less sweet than light caramel.

Butter and sugar in the panPhoto: Iryna Chornii / European Cuisine with Iryna Chornii
Butter and sugar in the pan
The caramel is cooked to a deep brownPhoto: Iryna Chornii / European Cuisine with Iryna Chornii
The caramel is cooked to a deep brown

5. Caramelise the pears. Carefully place the pears in the caramel — it is very hot. Let them cook until soft but not falling apart, then turn them with two forks and caramelise the other side. The pears should darken evenly and keep their shape.

The pears go into the caramelPhoto: Iryna Chornii / European Cuisine with Iryna Chornii
The pears go into the caramel
The pears are caramelised on both sidesPhoto: Iryna Chornii / European Cuisine with Iryna Chornii
The pears are caramelised on both sides

6. Cover with pastry. Lay the chilled pastry over the pears and tuck the edges inside.

The pears are covered with pastryPhoto: Iryna Chornii / European Cuisine with Iryna Chornii
The pears are covered with pastry

7. Bake. Bake for 20–25 minutes until the crust is golden and crisp. The pears are already cooked, so the pie stays in the oven only until the pastry browns.

The baked tart in the panPhoto: Iryna Chornii / European Cuisine with Iryna Chornii
The baked tart in the pan

8. Turn it over. Let the pie rest for 15–30 minutes, cover the pan with a plate and carefully turn it over.

A plate goes over the pan to turn out the piePhoto: Iryna Chornii / European Cuisine with Iryna Chornii
A plate goes over the pan to turn out the pie

The pie can be baked in advance and turned out just before serving, so the crust does not go soggy. It is served on its own or with vanilla or pistachio ice cream, whipped cream or unsalted cream cheese.

As a reminder, last week we made German baked apples with lingonberries.

Nota bene

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