pear tarte tatin

our little pear orchards are doing well.

did you pick some of our harovin bountys last weekend?

i am happy to share a fun recipe for them. 

we have another variety that will be available to pick a little later this season.  

vanilla bean pear tarte tatin

a lovely french dessert traditionally made with apples.. 

but using pears kind of elevates it unexpectedly.

you will need..

5 pears (our harovin bounty or sunrise)

peeled, cored and cut in half

1/2 cup of sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons brandy (do you have some calvados from last week’s recipe?)

1 whole vanilla bean

1/2 package of frozen butter puff pastry, thawed (or home made)

flour for rolling out the dough

i did make the butter puff pastry from scratch. 

julie jones’ ‘the pastry school’ has a great recipe. 

so does claire saffitz’s ‘dessert person’. 

butter puff pastry is one of those easy but very time consuming things.. but so worth it if you’ll be home for a couple of days.

the dough requires lots of rolling and folding and resting. 

the store bought kind found in the frozen section is good and so easy..  just be sure there’s butter in the ingredients. 

preheat the oven to 425°.

in a 9 inch cast iron skillet, scatter the sugar.

cook over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally

(do not stir) until the sugar is dissolved and is a deep amber colour.. about 6 ish minutes.

whisk in the butter, vinegar, salt and brandy.

place the pears cut side down in the skillet and cook for 5 ish minutes until they shrink a little and give up some of their juice. 

carefully turn them over and cook for another 5 minutes. remove from heat.

tuck the whole vanilla bean under the centre pear.

roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface until it’s a bit larger than the skillet.

cut the pastry into a round shape, using a dinner plate or big bowl.

drape the pastry over the pears, gently tucking the edges inside the skillet.

place in the oven and bake until the pastry is puffed and just starting to brown.. 15 ish minutes, 

then reduce the temperature to 350° and continue baking until the pastry is golden brown.. another 20 ish minutes.

let the tarte cool for 5 minutes before inverting it on a serving plate. it’s a bit tricky to flip.. be careful.. the skillet is heavy!

serve warm or at room temperature.. perhaps with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, or crème frâiche?

there’s no wrong choice.

while i was taking photos, this cheeky little vole decided to snack on a pear! 

that’s farm life. 

i hope you are enjoying your week..

warmly,

laura

carl laidlaw orchards