Easy Pear Tarte Tatin
Pear Tarte Tatin is a classic, stunning French dessert that is actually quite easy to make. Fresh, juicy pears are baked on top of a buttery caramel, then topped with a buttery, flaky pie dough. After baking, the tarte is inverted and served upside down, so that you can see the caramelized, tender pears on top. Serve this with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce for a delicious sweet treat.
Happy Thanksgiving! I can’t believe Christmas is right around the corner. I truly do love this time of year. There’s just something so magical about the Holiday season.
Growing up, I remember my dad always picking pears to give out to neighbors for Christmas gifts. Pears just sort of became a Christmas-y thing to me. Plus, who doesn’t remember the line in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” – “a partridge in a pear tree”. Pears look elegant, they of course, taste delicious and can stay fresh for some time, especially when the weather is cool.
This Pear Tarte Tatin, while it may look difficult to make, it is actually quite easy, and I’ve made the recipe as simple as possible for you. It’s a classic French dessert that is made with caramelized tender pears baked in a flaky, buttery crust. The pear tarte tatin is served upside down, which gives it the visual appeal. The beautiful, caramel-y, golden pears nestled into the flaky, golden brown crust is just stunning. Top it with a scoop of creamy, white vanilla ice cream and mmm, you’ll make your friends and family just want to dive in after one look!
This Pear Tarte Tatin would make a beautiful dessert for your Christmas dinner, but it honestly is a great dessert to enjoy throughout the whole fall season.
The details
The ingredients
- Flaky, buttery, pie dough – I used my homemade buttery, flaky pie dough as the crust for this Pear Tarte Tatin recipe. The dough is sturdy enough to hold the pears without falling apart and it bakes up into a beautiful, flaky dough. The crust just melts in your mouth. Typically, pear tarte tatin is made with puff pastry, so you could certainly use frozen puff pastry to make things simpler.
- Topping
- small pears – you want pears that are firm, and hold their shape when baking. I used Bosc pears. Bosc pears hold their shape and texture really well when baking, and their flavor is not overwhelmed by the flavors of everything else in this recipe. You could also use Bartlett and Anjou pears. You want to use pears that are somewhat firm.
- lemon juice – the lemon juice helps the pears maintain their color after being peeled, rather than turning brown. It also helps to enhance the flavor of the pears.
- cinnamon – the blend of the spices used in this pear tarte tatin recipe adds delicious flavor.
- nutmeg
- ginger
- cloves
- Caramel
- unsalted butter – butter is a key component when making caramel. It gives caramel the distinct buttery taste.
- brown sugar – this caramel is made easier with the addition of brown sugar. This caramel only takes a few minutes to come together and has a delicious caramel taste.
- heavy cream – this adds a rich, creamy taste to the caramel.
Let me know what you thought!
If you make this Pear Tarte Tatin recipe, let me know what you thought in the ratings and comments below. I truly enjoy reading all of your comments! Also, make sure to snap a picture of your pear tarte tatin and tag me on instagram @simplebakingwithpep. It makes my day to see all of your wonderful creations!
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Easy Pear Tarte Tatin
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Pear Tarte Tatin is a classic, stunning French dessert that is actually quite easy to make. Fresh, juicy pears are baked on top of a buttery caramel, then topped with a buttery, flaky pie dough. After baking, the tarte is inverted and served upside down, so that you can see the caramelized, tender pears on top. Serve this with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce for a delicious sweet treat.
Ingredients
- 1 Pie Dough (use 1/2 homemade pie dough recipe)
Topping
- 5 small pears, peeled, stem removed (Bosc, Bartlett, or Anjou)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
Caramel
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
1. Make the pie dough, or use store bought. The pie dough needs 1 hour to chill in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat oven to 375F.
3. Peel pears, then slice in half, lengthwise. Remove the seeds and remove the stem (including the stem at the bottom). Place pears in a large bowl.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Sprinkle over the pears, then drizzle the lemon juice over the pears. Toss/rub the spices and lemon juice over the pears to combine. Set aside.
5. Make the caramel. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and whisk to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Whisk in the heavy cream. Be careful in this step, as the mixture can bubble. Continue whisking for 1 minute.
6. Pour the caramel into a 9-10 inch pie dish. Allow to cool while you roll out the pie crust.
7. Roll the pie dough out. On a floured surface, roll the chilled pie crust out into an 11-inch diameter (it doesn’t have to be perfectly round). Here’s a trick to easily drape your pie crust over the pear tarte tatin without it ripping. Sprinkle a little bit of flour over the surface of the pie crust, then roll the pie crust over the rolling pin.
8. Assemble. Add the pears, cut side facing up on top of the caramel. Unroll the pie crust, or place the pie crust on top of the pears. Gently tuck the edges of the crust around the pears with your fingertips.
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the crust is light golden brown in color.
10. Allow to cool 10 minutes on a cooling rack, then carefully invert onto a large serving plate. Be very careful in this step as the caramel and pears are still very hot.
11. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce, if desired. You may cover the leftover and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Prep Time: 30
- Pie Dough Chill Time: 60
- Cook Time: 40 (includes making homemade caramel)
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: French
