Pear Tarte Tatin

Traditionally, this dessert is made with apples, but I didn't have any, so pears it was! Tarte Tatin was made famous by the Tartin sisters who always served it in their restaurant. I have been wanting to try and make this for the longest time. I've seen it done on cooking shows, but it always looked so difficult. That was until I tried it. It's actually pretty easy. Just 4 ingredients and a little bit of time is all you need. Please keep in the mind though, that you are working with hot sugar and there is the potential to really burn yourself. Caution with this dish is very important.

What You Need:

1 stick of butter
1 cup sugar
Aprox. 5 large apples or pears, peeled, cored and cut into quarters
1 sheet of puff pastry dough


What To Do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a cast iron skillet, or other oven safe pan, that is about 10-12 inches across, melt the butter over medium heat. Sprinkle in the sugar and then arrange the apples or pears in a spiral shape. Turn the heat to high and cook for about 5 minutes or until the sugar starts to thick and the fruit gives off it's juices. With a sharp knife or fork, very carefully flip the fruit over and cook for another 5 minutes. Roll out the puff pastry to the size of your pan and cut it into a circle. Carefully lay the pastry dough over the top, tucking the edges down over the fruit. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for several minutes, before inverting onto a serving plate. Please make sure to let this cool because when you flip it there is always the possibility of the juices splattering on you. You want to serve it warm but there is a big difference between hot, and warm. A dollop of vanilla icecream on top goes really well too.