As food writer Alice Hart observes in her new cookery book Vegetarian (pub. Murdoch, £14.99), it’s a rare recipe than can star as a starter, main or cheese course. However, this lovely dish of Pear and Parmesan Tarte Tatin with Thyme Pastry (which appears here with permission), really can work for any course. If you serve it as a starter or main dish, she suggests a peppery rocket side salad as an accompaniment. As a dessert or cheese course, the tart will stand alone or accompanied by a little crème fraîche. You can alter the recipe and use figs and hard goat’s cheese instead of the pears and Parmesan. Do ensure you use a good quality balsamic vinegar, as I think this really makes a difference.
Pear and Parmesan Tarte Tatin with Thyme Pastry – Recipe
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 100g butter
- 200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 100g Parmesan, finely grated
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
For the rest:
- 75g light brown sugar
- 50g butter
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
- 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
- 6 ripe but firm pears, quartered and cored
Method
- Start with the pastry. Whizz the butter and flour in a food processor until it resembles fine crumbs. Add a pinch of salt and the cheese and blend for a few seconds. Then add the egg and thyme and blitz again until the pastry just comes together into a ball.
- Knead briefly until smooth, shape into a disc and wrap in clingfilm. Chill for at least 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). In a 25cm tatin dish or ovenproof frying pan, heat the sugar until melts, shaking and swirling from time to time so it melts evenly. Increase the heat slightly and add the butter and vinegar, allowing the mixture to bubble for a minute or so.
- Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the walnuts and thyme. Arrange the pears on top, peeled side down, in a snug, concentric circle. On a lightly floured surface, roll the rested pastry into a circle 2cm larger than your dish or frying pan.
- Using a rolling pin to pick the pastry up, cover the fruit snugly with it like a blanket, tucking the edges in and under a little to enclose everything securely. Bake for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden and the caramel is bubbling up at the edges.
- Leave to cool for 10 minutes before placing an inverted plate (ideally one with a lip to catch the sauce) on top of the pan. Wearing oven gloves and holding the plate and pan tightly, flip the whole lot over so that the plate is underneath and the pan is upside down on top of it. Remove the pan to reveal the tart, pushing any dislodged pears back into place if necessary.
Rebecca Ford - I'm a UK based freelance travel writer and photographer - and the country I most like to visit is Italy. That's not just because of the ...
