Tart tatins are easier than they look! This is a recipe for a pear tart tatin, but it could just as easily be with apples or quince. A pear tart tatin is a French pastry in which pears are cooked upside down in caramel, topped with pastry dough, and then flipped before serving.
I get it, tart tatins very intimidating to make. This recipe for a pear tart tatin hopefully helps assuage your concerns. It:
- Gives you the option of using store-bought crust if you don't know how to make pie dough
- Uses a very basic caramel recipe
- Likely can be made with what you have in the pantry
What you'll need to make a pear tart tatin
- One 10" circle of puff pastry or pie dough -- either buy at the store or make with this recipe -- rolled about ⅛th of an inch thick
- ½ cup of granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- about 5 medium pears
- 1 tablespoon of rum, whiskey, or cognac
How to make a pear tart tatin
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Peel, slice in half longways and core your pears. In a bowl, toss with a tablespoon of your booze of choice, if you're going that route 🙂
- Have your pie dough/puff pastry ready to go.
- Make caramel in a 9" skillet pan: melt the butter and then add the sugar; watch and smell the caramel very diligently, as it turns from a butter/sugary grainy combo into a smoother silky caramel. turn off the heat once puffs of smoke are given off and it clearly smells like caramel - the caramel will continue to cook once you remove it from the heat, so beware!!
- Make a ring of pears towards the edges of the pan, over the caramel, in the frying pan, rounded sides down and narrower tips towards the center, if you care about details. Fill in the blanks as needed with pears.
- Cover the pears with your puff pastry/pie dough circle, and cut a few slits in the middle so steam can escape.
- Place into the oven and cook for about 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let stand a minute or two cool slightly, then set a serving plate upside down on top of the skillet. Lift the skillet and the plate together, and flip quickly to invert the tart tatin. If any fruit is stuck in the skillet, simply replace/rearrange on the tart.
Serve with whipped cream or ice cream!!!
Pear tartin FAQs
Do I have to peel my pears?
- No
Can I use store bought caramel?
- I haven't tried this but my guess would be yes. Instead of cooking your caramel on the stove, pour the caramel into the pan, place your pears on top, place your pie dough on top, and cook directly in the oven.
What if my flip doesn't work??
- The pie dough should at least flip onto your plate. If any fruit is stuck in the skillet, simply replace/rearrange on the tart.
Can I use store bought pastry dough?
- yes!!!!
📖 Recipe
Pear Tart Tatin
Pear Tart Tatin
Ingredients
- One 10" circle of chilled puff pastry or pie dough
- ½ cup of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 5 medium size pears
- optional: 1 tablespoon of rum whiskey, or cognac
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Peel, slice in half long ways, and core your pears. In a bowl, toss with a tablespoon of your booze of choice, if you're going that route 🙂
- Have your pie dough/puff pastry rolled out into a 10" circle and ready to go.
- Make caramel in a 9" skillet pan: melt the butter and then add the sugar; watch and smell the caramel very diligently, as it turns from a butter/sugary grainy combo into a smoother silky caramel. turn off the heat once puffs of smoke are given off and it clearly smells like caramel - the caramel will continue to cook once you remove it from the heat, so beware!!
- Make a ring of pears towards the edges of the pan, over the caramel, in the frying pan, rounded sides down and narrower tips towards the center, if you care about details. Fill in the blanks as needed with pears.
- Cover the pears with your puff pastry/pie dough circle, and cut a few slits in the middle so steam can escape.
- Place into the oven and cook for about 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let stand a minute or two cool slightly, then set a serving plate upside down on top of the skillet. Lift the skillet and the plate together, and flip quickly to invert the tart tatin. If any fruit is stuck in the skillet, simply replace/rearrange on the tart.
- Serve with whipped cream or ice cream!!!
Notes
Obviously, you can make this with apples if you wish
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!