© Darren Purchese 2015
PEAR TART TATIN
SERVES 4-6
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
2 100g 110g 1 1
Pears, firm Corella Unsalted Butter, room temperature Caster Sugar Vanilla Pod, Seeds Scraped Puff Pastry (disc 20cm diameter 0.5cm thick)
Preheat the oven to 180°C; you will need an 18cm diameter ovenproof shallow pan or tatin tin. Peel the pears and cut them in half lengthways, use a corer to scoop out the core. Push the butter into the base of the tatin tin and sprinkle the sugar to cover the butter and add the scraped vanilla seeds. Place the pears, point inwards, and onto the sugar cut side down. Place the disc of pastry over the top of the pears and strect to cover the base of the tin. Tuck excess pastry under neat the round edges of the pear around the tin. We are looking for an unfussy and rustic style appearance to this dessert, so don’t be afraid to use your hands. Using a sharp knife cut a small slice in the centre of the puff pastry to allow steam to escape while cooking. Place the pan onto a stove, BBQ top or flame and heat over a medium to high heat. As the pan starts to heat shake the pan to avoid the contents from sticking and catching. Syrup will start to develop in the pan with the butter, sugar and spices mixing and melting together. Use a spoon to scoop some of this syrup onto the back of the exposed puff pastry. Get the spoon into the centre cavity and ensure a liberal soaking of the pastry with the syrup all over. Continue to shake the pan and keep the contents moving. Cook until the syrup starts to turn a golden brown colour and then remove from the heat. Place the entire tin into the oven and cook for around 25 minutes or until the tatin looks cooked and the pastry is crisp. Remove from the oven and allow the tatin to cool for 5 minutes before attempting the flip. Use a larger plate than the diameter of the tin lined with baking paper and place it over the top of the tatin presentation side down. Use oven gloves or tea towels to hold the plate and the tin and flip in one rapid motion until the plate is on the bottom and the tin is on the top. Remove the tin and allow the tatin to cool for 5-10 minutes. Transfer the tatin to a serving plate and cut into portions. Serve the tatin with some vanilla ice cream or cream.
© Darren Purchese 2015