This sweet and sticky tarte tatin is an ideal dessert to follow a family roast dinner. The greatest thing about this recipe is that you only need to use one pan for the entire dish! It’s a really versatile dessert as the pear & cherries used in this version can be swapped for peaches, apples, plums, the list goes on. I use maple syrup instead of the traditional use of sugar to add another depth of flavour & richness.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• Bosc Pear 1 small, firm, cored & sliced thinly
• Cherries 1 small handful, halved & pitted
• Maple Syrup ¼ cup
• Butter 25g
• Puff Pastry 1 frozen ready-made sheet

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Place the frozen sheet of puff pastry on your bench top to defrost as you prepare the fruit.
3. Wash the pear & cherries in cold water. Core the pear and cut into 1/2cm wide slices. (If you don’t have a corer, just cut around the middle section). Cut each cherry in half & remove the pip and stem.
4. Heat a small oven proof fry pan (approx 20cm wide) over a medium heat. Add the butter to the pan, when melted pour in the maple syrup. Now place the slices of pear in the pan, completely covering the base. Cook for 1 min, add the cherries on top and then cook for 1 further minute or until the pear has softened slightly.
5. Cut a 15cm circle out of the pastry sheet (or a circle big enough to fit the inside dimension of your pan). Lay this over the cherries & pear so it’s a snug fit.
6. Put the pan into the oven and bake for 35 mins or until the pastry is puffed & golden brown.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 mins. This will help the syrup turn into a sticky toffee like substance.
8. Lastly, find a plate that is a little bigger than the size of the pan. Place it on top of the pastry and then turn the whole lot upside down so the tart sits on the plate with the pear & cherries facing up. (There may be excess liquid so be careful when inverting the pan).
9. Serve with vanilla ice-cream!