~ Spiced Pear Tarte Tatin ~

I don’t know about you, but I’m in the mood for a tarte tatin. It’s my favorite dessert to make for weekend entertaining, especially during the winter when I crave homey rustic desserts. Tarte Tatins are delightfully simple, oozing caramel and fruit. Best of all they are beautifully imperfect, irregular and uneven in presentation – and all the more charming for that. While the upside-down tart bakes in the oven, the caramel from the fruit filling will bubble up in spots through the crust. Fear not: The crust will continue to bake, and when the tart is finished and cooling, the wayward caramel will harden and shellac the crust like a candied apple – or in this case, pear.

Spiced Pear Tarte Tatin

Once you get the hang of making the caramel and the final turnout of the tart onto a plate, tarte tatins are an unfussy and reasonably quick dessert to prepare in advance of dinner. They taste best slightly warm or at room temperature.

Serves 8 to 10

Sour Cream Pastry:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut in pieces

1/3 cup full fat sour cream

Pear Filling:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut in 4 pieces

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided

6 large Bosc or Anjou pears, peeled, cored and halved

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 egg, beaten to blend, for glaze

Prepare Pastry:

Combine flour, sugar and salt in bowl of food processor. Pulse to blend. Add butter and pulse until butter is size of peas. Add sour cream and pulse until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball, flatten and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. (Can be made one day ahead; refrigerate until use. Pastry dough may also be frozen up to one month in freezer before rolling. Allow to defrost in refrigerator overnight.) Remove pastry from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling out.

Prepare Tart:

Arrange butter in bottom of a 10 to 12-inch oven-proof skillet with sloping sides (preferably cast iron.) Sprinkle 1 cup sugar evenly over butter and pan. Cook over medium heat until butter melts, the sugar is partially dissolved and the mixture is bubbling, about 2 minutes.

Arrange pears closely together, core-side up, in a circular pattern in the skillet. Cut any remaining pears in quarters to fill in the gaps. Mix 1 tablespoon sugar, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Increase temperature to medium-high heat. Boil until a thick amber coloured syrup forms, turning skillet to ensure even cooking, about 20 minutes.

While the fruit is cooking on stove, preheat oven to 425° F. Roll out pastry on parchment paper to a round shape to fit size of skillet. Place in refrigerator while you wait for the filling to caramelize. When ready, remove skillet from heat. Lay pastry over fruit (work quickly because it will begin to melt from the heat of the pan.) Cut 3-4 slits in pastry. Brush pastry with some of the egg glaze.

Bake tart until pastry is deep golden brown and firm when tapped, about 30 minutes. Remove tart from oven and cool on rack one minute. Cut around edge of skillet with a knife or spatula to loosen pastry. Invert the tart onto a platter, using oven mitts. If any of the pears or caramel are stuck in the pan, remove with a knife and arrange on top of tart.

Cool tart slightly before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.