Equipment
Ingredients
Fruit and Caramel
- 6 bosc pears, firm but ripe
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 60 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 5 ml vanilla bean paste
- 2 g flaky sea salt
Pastry
- 250 g all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen, kept chilled
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 364 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 50 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 30 g
- Sodium
- 177 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 7 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 9 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 16 mg
- Potassium
- 153 mg
- Calcium
- 15 mg
- Iron
- 1.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 13 mg
- Phosphorus
- 34 mg
- Zinc
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 52 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 5 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin K
- 11 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.14 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.13 mg
- Niacin
- 1.5 mg
- Folate
- 32 mcg
- Water
- 99 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Peel, halve, and core the Bosc pears using a paring knife.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F.
Place the oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the granulated sugar and unsalted butter. Cook without stirring, gently swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture turns a deep amber caramel. This will take about 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Carefully stir in the vanilla bean paste and flaky sea salt. The hot caramel may bubble vigorously.
Carefully arrange the pear halves in the hot caramel, placing them cut-side up in a tight, overlapping circular pattern.
Return the skillet to low heat and simmer the pears for 10 minutes to slightly soften them and help them release their juices into the caramel.
While the pears simmer, use a rolling pin to roll the all-butter puff pastry into a circle slightly larger than the diameter of your skillet.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Drape the rolled puff pastry over the warm pears. Carefully tuck the outer edges of the pastry down inside the edge of the skillet to encase the fruit and form a rim.
Using the paring knife, cut three small slits in the center of the pastry to allow steam to escape during baking.
Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake at 200°C/390°F for 25 minutes, or until the pastry is completely puffed, crisp, and deep golden brown.
Remove the skillet from the oven and let it rest at room temperature for exactly 5 minutes. This brief rest allows the boiling caramel to calm and slightly thicken, making inversion safer and cleaner.
Place the serving plate upside down over the skillet. Wearing heavy oven mitts, hold the plate and skillet tightly together and swiftly invert them. Gently remove the skillet to reveal the tart.
Chef's Notes
- Using a firm pear variety like Bosc or Anjou ensures the fruit holds its structural integrity during the double cooking process.
- Do not skip tucking the pastry down the inside perimeter of the skillet; this creates the structural rim that contains the caramel juices once the tart is flipped.
- If the caramel seizes and hardens when you add the cooler pears, do not panic. It will organically melt again as the pears release their juices in the hot oven.
- Always rely on an all-butter puff pastry for this dessert. Shortening-based pastries will not deliver the robust flavor needed to stand up to the intense caramel.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container. The pastry will soften over time.
Reheating: Reheat slices in a 150C oven for 8 to 10 minutes to re-crisp the pastry.
Troubleshooting
Pastry sticks to the skillet and tears upon inverting
Cause: The tart cooled for too long before flipping, causing the caramel to harden and act like glue.
Fix: Place the skillet back on the stove over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes to remelt the caramel, then attempt to invert again.
Prevention: Invert the tart no more than 5 to 7 minutes after removing it from the oven.
Caramel is watery and soupy after baking
Cause: The pears were overly ripe and released excessive moisture during baking.
Fix: Carefully pour the excess liquid from the serving plate into a small saucepan, reduce it over medium heat until syrupy, and brush it back over the tart.
Prevention: Use firm baking pears like Bosc or Anjou, and ensure they simmer on the stove to release moisture before the pastry is added.
Sugar crystallizes instead of turning to smooth caramel
Cause: Stirring the sugar while it was melting caused a chain reaction of crystallization.
Fix: Add a tablespoon of water to the crystallized sugar and heat gently, allowing it to dissolve and remelt without stirring.
Prevention: Gently swirl the skillet instead of stirring with a utensil while the sugar melts.
Cultural Context
The Tarte Tatin was famously created by accident in the late nineteenth century by the Tatin sisters at their hotel in the Sologne region of France. While originally baked with local apples, the pear variation offers a more delicate, floral flavor profile that pairs beautifully with dark, bittersweet caramel and rich, flaky dough.
