This is my new favorite dessert...it's incredibly easy, looks like something from a French Patisserie and tastes like it came from a 5 star restaurant...and I'm not just blowing smoke! If you like pears and caramel and pastry then you'll love this...and if you want to put a little ice cream along side I shall say nothing...they're your thighs.
Home sweet home...after being away for 2 weeks it IS so good to be home - and let me tell you, the mister MISSED me like nobody's bizness! He had no one to watch him change channels on the TV, no one to listen to him read aloud the sports section of the paper and no one to clean up after him...to put it mildly, he was more miserable than usual. To show his appreciation for having me back, he changed the sheets on the bed (!) and he washed the windows (!!) and he even vacummed the entire house(!!!) of course, he also left me a laundry room full of dirty clothes and a sink full of dirty pans but that was nothing compared to CLEAN WINDOWS! The man is full of surprises! So I rewarded him with this rustic French dessert...oui, oui..now listen up, this is SUPER EASY...there is no custard to make and curdle, there is no whipping or frothing or folding or glazing...so make this and impress the HECK out of everyone! On the Dang Meter this would get a 5...'cause it's dang, dang, dang, dang, DANG GOOD!
You will need a cast iron skillet to make this - that's the only caveat. (The first time I made this I used a cast iron skillet - the second time I used a non-stick skillet that was also ovenproof...the first tart was better, crispier and it cooked more evenly because of the way heat is conducted in a cast iron pan...so what I'm saying is you CAN use a non-stick skillet but it won't be as good!) You begin by cooking this on the stove top and finishing it in the oven - then you flip it upside down onto a plate and VOILA you have this beautiful carmelized pear tart on a crispy and light pastry crust...it's good warm or cold, too!
Pear Tart Tatin - Adapted from Everyday Food
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (2 sheets come in the 17.3 oz. package)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons butter
2 to 3 firm, ripe Anjou or Bartlett pears, each peeled, halved, cored and cut into 6 wedges
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry to an 11 1/2-inch square; using a plate as a guide, cut out an 11-inch round. Refrigerate until ready to use. In a medium cast-iron or ovenproof nonstick skillet, combine sugar, vinegar and 2 tablespons of water. Cook over medium, without stirring until golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in butter. Arrange pear wedges in a circle along the edge of skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until pears are crisp-tender, 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove skillet from heat. Drape chilled pastry round over pears, tucking edge under. Place a small oven-safe plate or pot lid on top of pastry; bake 15 minutes. remove plate, continue to bake until pastry is golden brown, about 12 minutes more. Let tart cool in skillet for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of skillet, and carefully invert tart onto a serving plate. Serves 8.
"If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded." ~ Maya Angelou
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One year ago today: Oscar Gumbo
