Pear Tarte Tatin with Pistachios and Vanilla
 
 
Golden caramel-soaked pears, perched on a crisp, buttery puff pastry base.
Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 4 pears (I used packham pears)
  • 1 sheet of all-butter puff pastry
  • ½ cup (110g) sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • ½ cup brandy (or lemon juice and water)
  • ½ stick (55g) butter
  • ¼ cup chopped pistachios
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F/190C.
  2. Peel the pears, slice them in half and use a spoon to remove the seeds and cores.
  3. Cut a circle roughly 9inches/23cm from the puff pastry and set aside.
  4. Place a roughly 9 inch/23cm oven-proof pan over a medium heat, and add the sugar, vanilla and brandy to the pan. Heat, without stirring, until the sugar is melted and the mixture is a light caramel colour.
  5. Add the pears, core side down and cook them for about 4 minutes, turning half way through.
  6. Add the butter on top of the fruit and then place the pastry over the top very carefully tucking in the edges just a little.
  7. Place the pan into the oven and back for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden.
  8. Remove from the oven and leave to sit for about 30 seconds, before very carefully upending the tarte onto a serving dish. Place the dish upside down on the pan, and then using oven gloves or tea towels, turn it over confidently in one motion. Lift off the pan, and there is your tarte tatin! If any of the fruit sticks to the pan, just pull it out and stick it back on the tarte - the whole point is how rustic and ramshackle it looks.
  9. Sprinkle generously with pistachios and serve! Brilliant with ice cream, creme fraiche or even sour cream.
Recipe by The Sugar Hit at http://www.thesugarhit.com/2014/09/pear-tarte-tatin-with-pistachios-and-vanilla-recipe.html