Pear tarte Tatin
See this recipe step by step

Pear tarte Tatin

Gordon adds a touch of spice to the ultimate French classic to create the definitive autumn pudding

Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Serves 8

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Cook time

Cook 50 mins

Method

  1. Core the pears, then peel as neatly as possible and halve. If you like, they can be prepared up to a day ahead and kept in the fridge, uncovered, so that they dry out.
  2. Tip the sugar, butter, star anise, cardamom and cinnamon into an ovenproof frying pan, about 20cm wide, and place over a high heat until bubbling. Shake the pan and stir the buttery sauce until it separates and the sugar caramelises to a toffee colour.
  3. Lay the pears in the pan, then cook in the sauce for 10-12 mins, tossing occasionally, until completely caramelised. Don't worry about them burning - they won't - but you want to caramelise them as much as possible. Splash in the brandy and let it flambé, then set the pears aside. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Roll the pastry out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Using a plate slightly larger than the top of the pan, cut out a circle, then press the edges of the circle of pastry to thin them out.
  4. When the pears have cooled slightly, arrange them in the pan, cut side up, in a floral shape, with the pears around the edge pointing inwards. Rest the cinnamon stick on the top in the centre, with the cardamom pods scattered around. Drape the pastry over the pears, then tuck the edges down the pan sides and under the fruit (see Gordon's guide). Pierce the pastry a few times, then bake for 15 mins. If a lot of juice bubbles up the side of the pan, pour it off at this stage (see guide). Reduce oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and bake for 15 mins more until the pastry is golden. Leave the tart to stand for 10 mins, then invert it carefully onto a serving dish.
Try

Which pears?

Use a ripe, yet firm, pear that holds its shape. My favourite pear for this dish is Comice as it's naturally firm-fleshed even when ripe, and has a nice, round-bottomed shape. In my restaurants we peel the pears and leave them, uncovered, in the fridge for a day. This helps them dry out, so they won't release too much juice and dilute the caramel when you cook them. Don't worry about them going brown as this actually adds to the finished dish.

Tip

We pour away the excess juices from the pan halfway through baking to stop the pastry becoming soggy when you turn the tart out. This isn't essential but, if you do decide to do so, be very careful to avoid burning yourself with the hot pan or the molten sauce. We also serve baby tartes in my restaurants, cooking them to order in small copper pans.

Fitting the pastry

Make sure you tuck the pastry down the sides of the pan, using a spoon or knife to lift the pears and tuck the pastry under. This will ensure the pastry 'hugs' the fruit as it cooks, keeping the tart nice and compact.

Prefer apples?

To make this into an apple Tatin, simply swap the pears for apples. Tatins can also be made with plums, nectarines or peaches, but won't work with fruits like strawberries or raspberries as their flesh is too soft.

Per serving

429 kcalories, protein 4g, carbohydrate 48g, fat 25 g, saturated fat 12g, fibre 2g, sugar 25g, salt 0,69 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, October 2007.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 1-20

  • Binder photo Ali

    01 January 2008

    Ali rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Fabulous! Served this as a dessert to the Bouef Bourgignon. Was absolutely delicious, the star anise was a lovely touch.

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  • Binder photo andy

    24 January 2008

    andy commented on this recipe

    This look nice

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  • Binder photo Karen J

    27 January 2008

    Karen J rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Petra

    01 April 2008

    Petra rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo daisy

    15 May 2008

    daisy commented on this recipe

    Made this the other night and it was really really delicious!!!

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  • Binder photo JoJo

    23 September 2008

    JoJo commented on this recipe

    Don't be put off by any myths surrounding tarte tatin - this was the first time I have made one and this recipe was simple to follow and well behaved. The only hairy moment is when the sugar and butter split when you are preparing the caramel, but hold your nerve over this and all will be fine. Most importantly, it tastes absolutely ace. I will be making this recipe over and over again!

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  • Binder photo Tinebine

    15 February 2009

    Tinebine rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    lovely dessert. By a mistake I put two tbsp cardamon pods. I found out at level 4, removed them, and followed the recipe. No harm was done, and it had the most dilicious taste.

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  • Binder photo cakeanyone?

    20 February 2009

    cakeanyone? commented on this recipe

    I've made this a couple of times now..it's delicious and the recipe is foolproof!

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  • Binder photo cakeanyone?

    27 February 2009

    cakeanyone? rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    You must make this! The star anise was a little overpowering so will only use 1 next time.

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  • Binder photo mimisardine

    09 July 2009

    mimisardine rated and commented on this recipe

    2 stars

    I had quite a disaster. The star anise was incredibly strong and then due to the "high heat" the sugar burnt slightly before it could caramelise. It tasted terrible. I literally had to wash the pears and then start all over again with a very basic butter/sugar/cinnamon/ cardamon sauce on a low to medium heat. This was fine and the rest of the recipe worked beautifully. Totally wowed the guests!

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  • Binder photo littleegg

    03 August 2009

    littleegg rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    one of my favorite puddings

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  • Binder photo JWindsor

    06 October 2009

    JWindsor commented on this recipe

    Scattered a few walnuts over this before cooking. Yummy.

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  • Binder photo minty :)

    14 October 2009

    minty :) commented on this recipe

    Is it possible to make without the brandy? or use something to sub?

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  • Binder photo CathScott

    19 October 2009

    CathScott rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this with Granny Smith apples and bought sheets of puff pastry - even easier and still delicious!

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  • Binder photo deisi

    05 April 2010

    deisi commented on this recipe

    To minty: yes, it is possible to make it without the brandy. I have always skipped the flambé step, because I'm far too scared to do it :). But it works anyway and it really does taste gorgeous with both pears and apples.

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  • Binder photo Kay matthews

    06 September 2010

    Kay matthews rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Did this recipe but didn't have the spices so just used mixed spice - turned out lovely!

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  • Binder photo GlisGlis

    07 September 2010

    GlisGlis rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Simply the most delicious version of this dessert I've ever eaten, never mind made! Looks beautiful and the spices are an inspired introduction. Always lots of complements too and no left overs. I was a little daunted at first but careful advance reading of the recipe and sticking to it really paid off. One thing though - it was helpful to give the pears time to dry overnight post-peeling, so it's good to plan ahead and to take this into account when thinking of the prep and cooking times. I poured the juices off halfway through baking as suggested and kept them to use as sauce later. Too good to waste!

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  • Binder photo Phil Warren

    31 October 2010

    Phil Warren commented on this recipe

    My first at a tarte tatin. Very pleased with the results.

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  • Binder photo Katie B

    03 December 2010

    Katie B rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    This was really really delicious. I made it with apples and used five smallish cox and pink lady apples mixed together, peeled, cored and quartered - probably could have managed a sixth apple. I also didn't bother to flambee. It turned out amazing - did notice that when I flipped it onto my serving plate it some of the apples felt out of place but it was easy enough to put them back in their place. Overall it looked super professional!

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  • Binder photo vhoracek

    19 December 2010

    vhoracek rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this with apples, other than that I must say that one piece of star anise is just enough, as it can overpower the other spices.

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Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Serves 8

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Cook time

Cook 50 mins

Ingredients

  • 8 pears
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 100g butter
  • 2 star anise
  • 3 cardamom pods
  • 1 large cinnamon stick
  • 2 tbsp brandy
  • 500g block all-butter puff pastry
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Per serving

429 kcalories, protein 4g, carbohydrate 48g, fat 25 g, saturated fat 12g, fibre 2g, sugar 25g, salt 0,69 g

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