Pear Tarte Tatin

Before starting this Pear Tarte Tatin recipe, prepare the almond rich shortcrust pastry and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Peel the pears with a peeler. I used the Comice variety for this recipe.

Cut the pears in half and remove the cores.

We're going to use pear halves for the tart.

Place the tarte tatin mould on the stove.

Place the castor sugar and butter in the mould.

Heat until the butter has melted...

... and combine with a rubber spatula until you get a caramel.

Don't wait until the caramel turns dark, which will give it a bitter taste.

Arrange the pears in the caramel. I trimmed the pears a little to give them a rounder shape.

Place the pears scraps over the pear halves. Cook the pears in the caramel so they start to caramelize.

Roll out the rich shortcrust pastry with a rolling pin...

... into a disc that is bigger than the tarte tatin mould (i.e. 24 cm).

Using a stainless steel ring Ø 26cm, cut a disc of pastry.

Place the pastry disc over the pears, then fold the edges of the pastry disc inside the pan.

Prick the pastry with a fork.

Bake in a fan-assisted oven at 180°C (gas 4) for about 30 minutes.

When cooked, remove the pan from the oven.

The result should be as shown in the photo.

Cover the mould with a pastry rack...

... then place a deep baking sheet on top and flip.

Flip with a quick, sharp movement, taking extra precautions in order not to get burnt with splashes of boiling caramel!

Release the tart carefully while it is still hot.

Our pear Tarte Tatin is ready. Let cool before serving and enjoy.