Name: Quick pear tarte Tatin
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 65 gm caster sugar; 40 gm butter, coarsely chopped; 2 ripe William pears, cored and quartered; 375 gm sheet butter puff pastry, rolled to 4mm thick and cut to a 22cm round (see note); To serve: pouring cream, or vanilla bean ice-cream

Ingredients

65 gm caster sugar

40 gm butter, coarsely chopped

2 ripe William pears, cored and quartered

375 gm sheet butter puff pastry, rolled to 4mm thick and cut to a 22cm round (see note)

To serve: pouring cream, or vanilla bean ice-cream

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 200C. Scatter sugar evenly over the base of an 18cm-diameter cast-iron or stainless-steel frying pan and cook over high heat until sugar begins to dissolve and caramelise around the edges (1-2 minutes). Start swirling pan occasionally to cook sugar evenly (do not stir) until sugar is all caramelised (1-2 minutes). Add butter and swirl to combine (20-30 seconds), then remove from heat and arrange pear quarters over caramel in a circle. Cover with puff pastry, tucking edges down around the pears with a spoon. Score the centre for steam to escape, then bake until pastry is dark golden and puffed (18-20 minutes).

2.Remove from oven, stand for 2 minutes, then place a plate on top and shake pan to loosen tart. Working quickly, invert tart being very careful of hot caramel drips. Serve hot with pouring cream or ice-cream.