Dry Apricots & Pear Tarte Tatin

It feels so long since I posted my last Tarte Tatin recipe that I thought I must post another one this week.

Yes because a Pear & Brandy Tarte Tatin, a Peach & Passion Fruit Tarte Tatin and a Tomato Tarte Tatin over the last few weeks don't really seem enough Tarte Tatin in my life.

Well, yes, I may be working up a good obsession for these french recipe. But there is something special about that caramelized flavor with fruit and a delicious flaky crust that makes me go weak in the knees.

You really can't go wrong with a upside down cake. Who can't not fall in love with butter and sugar melted together into a sweet golden puddle? Seriously, there is something so fantastically tasty and satisfying about them, that cannot be replicated in any other cake or fruit pie.

I know that some people feel bit intimidated by making a Tarte Tatin, but there really is no reason for that. It's quite straightforward.

And so it is, that when you try once you cannot stop. In fact, I've discovered I’m not alone in my obsession with tarte tatin. There is a whole website dedicated to it, TarteTatin.org, which is maintained by the Friends of the Tarte Tatin. 

Can you believe it?!?!

According to the history,  this tart was created by two French sisters, Carolina and Stephine Tatin. The sisters lived in a small rural town in France.  They owned and ran the hotel called l’Hotel Tatin in 1888. The elder sister, Stephine, dealt with the kitchen.  She was a particularly fine cook but was not the brightest of people.  Her specialty was an apple tart, served perfectly crusty, caramelized and which melted in the mouth.  One day during the hunting season, during the midday scramble, Stephanie placed her tart in the oven the wrong way round.  The pastry and apples were upside-down but, nevertheless, she served this strange dessert without giving it time to cool.

And guess what?? Everyone absolutely loved it. And do you know why? Well, follow this recipe and you'll find out.

WHAT YOU NEED

250gr Dry Apricots

6 Pears

1 Shortcrust Pastry Roll

100gr Golden Sugar

1 Orange, juice and zest

50gr Butter

1tsp Cinnamon

WHAT YOU DO

Preheat oven to 200C.

Chop the apricots in halves. Peel the pears and cut into quarters. Set aside.

Put a deep frying pan on the hob over a medium heat. Add the sugar and heat to a lovely caramel colour, stirring constantly. Add the butter and cinnamon and stir to combine.

Place the pears and apricots in the caramel and spoon over the mixture. Add the orange juice and zest. Turn the heat down and cook for 5–10 minutes, until the pears are just tender and cooked but retain their shape. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

Put the pears and apricots in a round overproof tin. Roll out the pastry and cut a disc slightly bigger than the pan. Place the pastry disc on top of the pears and apricots, then carefully tuck it snugly around the outside of the pears and down into the sides of the pan.

Bake the tarte for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and puffed up. Remove from the oven and leave to cold for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, place a large plate over the top and carefully turn the tart onto the plate.

Serve with cream.