| Caramelized Upside-Down Pear Tart |
If you are afraid of the tart crust, you'll love this delicious and forgiving tart recipe. If your crust does not roll out into a nice circle, patch the cracks, and tuck the stubborn crust around the pears. Once you flip it, no one besides you will know what's under those gorgeous caramelized pears. If you have true fear of pâte brisée or have to whip up a stunning dessert on a short notice, use a store bought pie crust (the one that is NOT fitted into the pan and sold to put over the filling in covered pies). |
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| Ingredients | Directions |
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3 large firm ripe Bosc pears 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 2 Tbsp cognac (optional) 1/4 cup golden raisins (optional) |
Peel, halve, and core pears. In a 9- to 10-inch ovenproof non-stick skillet or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet heat butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and stir in sugar (sugar will not be dissolved). Add the cognac and stir. Arrange pears, cut sides up, in skillet, with the skinny end of pears pointing into the middle of the pan. Sprinkle pears with cinnamon and cook without stirring until sugar mixture forms a deep golden caramel. (This can take as little as 10 minutes or as much as 25, depending on skillet and stove.) Cool pears completely in skillet. Put a teaspoon of raisins into the core of each pear. Distribute the rest of the raisins in the pan. |
| Pâte Brisée for a 10" tart pan |
Preheat oven to 425°F. On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll out dough into an 11-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and arrange over caramelized pears. Tuck edge around pears. Bake tart in middle of oven until pastry is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Have ready a rimmed serving plate slightly larger than skillet. As soon as tart has finished baking, invert plate over skillet and, wearing oven mitts and keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together, invert tart onto plate. Do this over the sink in case some juices spill. This is a bit scary, but it works! The trick is to do it in one very fast motion. Let cool at least 15-20 minutes. Serve tart warm with whipped cream or ice cream. |