Pear Tarte Tatin with Star Anise & Cardamom

A tarte tatin is classy – simple, not fussed with intricacy yet still beautiful in its simplicity. I’ve come to admire this classic dessert.

It requires only a few simple ingredients – fruit, pastry, sugar and butter.

I’ve opted for autumn’s favourite fruit, pears; its delicate sweetness a beautiful match for star anise and cardamom; and its velvety smoothness for lighty crisp pastry.

A few things to keep in mind: when making your caramel, don’t stir the sugar! This may cause your caramel to separate; you can gently swirl the pan instead to ensure it cooks evenly.

When arranging your pears, you can lay them in a fan or spiral pattern – keep in mind that when you invert the dessert to serve, the first layers you place down will appear on top.

Recipe: Pear Tarte Tatin with Star Anise & Cardamom

Serves: 4-6

Total time: 1hr 20min

Ingredients

• 100g sugar

• 1 star anise

• 3 cardamom pods, bruised

• 250g puff pastry

• 50g butter

• 3 pears (550g after peeling and coring), sliced 1-2mm thick

Directions

1. In a medium skillet or oven-proof pan, stir sugar, star anise, cardamom and and ¼ cup water together. Set over a medium heat and bring to a bubble. Once bubbling, leave to cook until it turns a golden brown. Resist the urge to stir – you can gently swirl the pan if the caramel looks darker in places.

   
   

2. When the syrup is golden brown, add butter and allow to melt. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine, and cook for a further 3 minutes.

   
   

3. Add pear slices, stir with a wooden spoon and cook for 15 minutes, swirling occasionally, until soft. Remove from the heat, then transfer pears to a bowl and allow to cool slightly. Discard star anise and cardamom.

   
   

4. When cool enough to handle, arrange pears back into the bottom of your pan, forming a fan pattern.

   
   

5. Preheat your oven to 180°C or 160°C fan bake.

   
   

6. On a clean surface, roll your pastry out to a circle roughly 3mm thick. Trim to cut out a circle to fit the base of your pan. Prick in several places with a fork.

   
   

7. Place the pastry disc over the pears in the pan. Tuck the edges of the pastry under – you want all of the pears to be tucked inside. Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until puffed and golden brown.

   
   

8. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before carefully inverting onto a serving platter. Serve hot.