Sometimes the name of the dish sounds so soothing to your ears that you are drawn spontaneously to it. And then if you discover that the dish is even more fascinating than the name, it is literally called then ‘icing on the cake’. Tarte Tatin is however not a cake, but a delicious french tart which can be made of seasonal fruits. The french word ‘Tarte Tatin’ means an upside down pastry in which the fruit is caramelized in butter and sugar before the tart is baked. Here I have used Pears in the Tarte Tatin which can be replaced by any juicy fruit of your choice. However the traditional Tarte Tatin is made of apple, which you can try of course.

Ingredients to serve 6 :

1. Butter – 6 tbspoon
2. Caster sugar – 115 gm.
3. Ground cinnamon – ½ teaspoon
4. Pears (peeled, halved and cored) – 5
5. Ready-made puff pastry – 225 gm.
6. Flour for dusting
7. Double cream to serve (optional)

Procedure :

Melt the butter and sugar in an ovenproof frying pan over medium heat. Stir carefully for 5 minutes until it turns to a light caramel colour. Stir in the ground cinnamon.Take care because it gets very hot.

Remove the pan from the heat, place on a heatproof surface and arrange the pears, cut side up, in the caramel. Place one half in the centre and surround it with the others. Return the pan to the gas and cook the pears in this way for 5-8 minutes till they turns golden brown. Again remove the pan and place on a heatproof surface.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a round, slightly larger than the frying pan, and place it on top of the pears. Tuck the edges down into the pan.

Bake near the top of a preheated oven, 200ºC/400ºF, for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is well risen and golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 2 minutes.

Invert the tart onto a serving dish that is larger than the frying pan and has enough depth to take any juices that may run out.

Remember that this is very hot so use a pair of thick oven gloves. Serve warm, with double cream if using.