Pear tarte tatin with vanilla ice cream

Ingredients

• 50 g unsalted butter, diced, plus extra to grease
• 1 sheet butter puff pastry
• 150 g caster sugar
• 3 tbsp water
• 5 firm pears, peeled, core removed and cut each pear into 6 pieces
• vanilla ice cream, to serve

Resting time: 5 minutes

Instructions

1. Grease a 20 cm round cake tin with butter and set aside. Cut the puff pastry to a 1 cm round larger than the cake tin and transfer to a baking tray. Refrigerate until required. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced).

2. In a heavy-based medium saucepan, add the sugar and gently shake to form an even layer of sugar on the base. Pour the water around the edges of the pan, then place on medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally (do not stir) until it reaches a dark amber colour. Stir through the diced butter, until well combined.

3. Stir the prepared pears through the caramel until well coated, then arrange neatly in the prepared cake tin. If the pears are hot to the touch, use chopsticks or tongs to help arrange into a decorative pattern.

4. Top the pears with the disc of puff pastry and push the edges down the side of the tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and cooked through.

5. Remove the pear tarte tatin from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes, before carefully turning it out onto a plate (use a tea towel, or oven-mitts, as the tin will be hot!). Serve with vanilla ice-cream.

Note

Do not use a springform cake tin for this recipe, as the caramel may leak out of the tin, preventing a messy clean-up!

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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