As I’ve shared before, hosting dinner parties is one of my favorite things to do – they are enhancers of life for me. When hosting dinner parties, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the food prep and forget the real reason you’re there, which is to spend times with loved ones.
Over the years, I’ve learned that one of the keys to a successful dinner party is finding menu items that my guests will enjoy, but won’t require so much attention that I can’t enjoy myself too. One dessert I’ve discovered that fits that bill is this delicious pear tarte tatin. It’s super easy to prepare, beautiful when finished and always a party pleaser!
A few years ago I taught a class at my sister’s cooking school, The Farm School on Los Rios, and showed the participants how to make both my apple pie (you might remember this blog about that) and this delicious tarte tatin. So once again, I’m sharing video from that class so you can see for yourself just how simple it is.
Bon Appetit!
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup and 1 tsp sugar
- 2 sticks + 4 tbsp. cold, butter
- 1/4-1/2 cup ice water + 1/4 cup reg. water
- 6 pears (peeled, cored & halved)
Instructions
- In a cast iron skillet, combine 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup sugar.
- Bring to a boil, lower the heat & cook until the liquid begins to thicken and turns an amber color
- Peel, core and halve 6 pears, then set aside
- While your sugar/water combo cooks, begin dough preparation
- In a food processor, combine 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp sugar
- Pulse dry ingredients
- Slice two stick of butter into slices and then add to dry ingredients and blend for 10 seconds (until mixture resembles coarse meal)
- Turn on the processor, then add 1/4 - 1/2 cup ice water, bit by bit, until the dough forms a ball
- Set dough ball aside in a bowl
- Add 1/2 stick butter to your water/sugar mixture and let it melt
- Once butter is melted, arrange your pear halves on top of the caramelized sugar mixture, cut side up
- Cook pears in this mixture until they're tender
- While pears are cooking, roll out dough, rolling from the center out.
- Then lift and roll dough around your rolling pin (makes it easier to move dough)
- Place dough on top of pears and trim, then tuck the edges.
- Cook on 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven, run a knife around the edges to separate tarte from the pan
- Place a plate on top of the pan, then flip.
- Cut and serve!
For us challenged bakersLOL LOVE the video. Looks so tasty. Curious if you don’t have the fancy cuisine something or other machine if you can still make it happen?
Mary Beth you used sticks of butter? we do not have butter in sticks here in Australia..I am guessing that a stick would be about 125g…
I had to look that up, Brenda. Google tells me that 1 stick of butter is 113 g …
Thank you Mary Beth..I had a guess and its turned out fine..just have to see what compliments I receive this evening 🙂
I do enjoy tour recipes. I’m a better baker than a cook, but I admit this tatin scares me. I would like to try it, though. I don’t own a cast iron skillet. I do own a Dutch oven and a Calphalon regular (not non stick) pan. Would that work? What’s the alternative to a cast iron skillet?
I don’t think a Dutch oven would work, but the Calphalon pan should work fine, as long as it doesn’t have a rubber handle.
What a Great recipe Mary Beth,so easy and looks delicious..I shall be making this for my family gathering this week..I always try to make something different and this will be lovely 🙂
Hi Mary Beth, this looks delicious, I think I will have to try it this weekend for the family.
Love to all, Kirsty x
Mary Beth, I can’t wait to make this when I get back from France! I love your instructional videos, and am adding this to my to do list along with your cookies 🙂
The pear tarte looks amazing. I would love to try it.
Hope this doesn’t sound like a stupid question but do you use a particular pear – like Bosc or Bartlett?
Thank you for doing a blog each week. It has become a Thursday ritual for me.
Thank you Mary Beth,This is what I am going to prepare for my next family gathering this week..looks so easy and delicious 🙂
I’ve used Bartlet, Bosc and D’anjou and they’ve all worked well.
Hi MaryBeth, another great instructional baking video. I am definitely going to try making this pear tart. I do have a question. Does it matter to the end result if you use soft or firm pears in the recipe?
Thanks, Barb! You don’t want the pears to be too soft or they won’t hold their shape.
Can’t wait to try this!…thanks for sharing another great recipe Mary Beth! It looks yummy!