Pear Tarte Tatin — From the Oven

This is the one that looks like more than it is. Thin slices of pear, arranged in butter and sugar, cooked down to a deep amber, capped with puff pastry and then flipped to reveal what the heat has been doing all along. It asks for a little nerve at the inversion and rewards you completely. Serve it slightly warm, with something cold alongside.

Ingredients

5–6 ripe but firm pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
½ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup sugar
1 sheet puff pastry
Pinch of salt

Method

Heat the oven to 425°F.
In an oven-safe skillet, melt the butter and sugar together.
Cook, without stirring much, until a deep amber caramel forms.
Arrange the pear slices in tight, overlapping rings in the caramel.
Cook a few minutes, letting the slices soften and take on the color.
Lay the puff pastry over the pears and tuck the edges down inside the pan.
Bake 25–30 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden.
Cool 10 minutes — no longer, or it will stick.
Set a plate over the skillet and, carefully, invert.

The inversion is the only moment that asks for confidence. A short rest, a steady plate, one decisive turn.

"This is the tart I photographed on the green plate, then carried to the white platter while the caramel was still warm."