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Recipe Detail Page
Pear & Plum Tarte Tatin with Macadamias
Autumn 2022
As we say goodbye to summer’s berries, there’s still much to look forward to in fall’s orchard fruits. With warm pears and plums, the crunch of macadamia nuts and the flakiness of a buttery puff-pastry crust, this caramelized tarte will make you love the season that much more.
Serves 6 to 8
1/3 cup (80 mL) unsalted butter
1/3 cup (80 mL) sugar
3 firm Bosc pears, peeled and quartered lengthways, fibrous cores removed
3 firm purple plums, halved and pitted
1/4 cup (60 mL) roughly chopped macadamia nuts (or hazelnuts, if preferred)
1 block (200 g) puff pastry dough, thawed but still cold
Pinch of finishing salt, such as Maldon
1. Using the 1/3 cup (80 mL) butter, lightly grease a heavy 9-inch (23-cm) ovenproof frying pan (I used cast-iron), then equally distribute remaining butter in small knobs around the bottom of the pan. Pour sugar over the butter. (This will eventually turn into caramel.)
2. Fit pears and plums over caramel mixture in an overlapping formation working your way into the centre. Squeeze them in as tightly as you can. Sprinkle chopped macadamia nuts evenly over top.
3. Roll out puff pastry dough on a lightly floured surface into a round that’s about 1/4-inch (5-mm) thick (if pre-rolled, simply cut off the corners). Lay it over the fruit in the pan, tucking in small amounts of excess dough around the edge. Prick through dough about 30 times with a fork.
4. Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C).
5. Place pan over medium heat and cook until there’s very little liquid left in the pan and you begin to smell caramel, 20 to 25 minutes. Keep an eye on it.
6. Transfer pan to the oven and bake until pastry is browned on top and dough is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and slide a small knife around the outer edge, making sure nothing is sticking. Cool pan on a cake rack.
7. After about 30 minutes, right before you’re ready to turn out your tarte tatin onto a serving plate, heat the bottom of the pan over high heat 30 to 40 seconds, jiggling it to make sure nothing is sticking. Place the large serving plate over the top of the pan, take a deep breath and flip the tarte onto the plate. Sprinkle with a pinch of Maldon salt. Cut into wedges and serve at once.
Serves 6 to 8
