Mario Batalis Pear Tart Tatin Recipes

PEAR TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Remove refrigerated pie crust from package, and follow manufacturer's suggestions for unrolling crust. Set aside.
• Combine nutmeg, ginger, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl.
• Peel, quarter, and core 4 pears. Slice each quarter into 3 slices, from core end to bottom, and place in a large bowl. Cut remaining pear in half; peel, and core one half and add to the bowl. Peel, core, and slice the other half as directed above and add to the bowl. Drizzle pears with bourbon and sprinkle with spice-sugar mix, tossing to evenly coat.
• Melt butter in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add 2/3 cup white sugar and salt to the melted butter, stirring to combine until mixture bubbles, 2 to 3 minutes. Place the single pear half in the center of the skillet. Fan remaining pear slices around the center, core end to the outside of the skillet and stem end toward the center. If possible, turn the pieces in the same direction. Keep adding pear slices, filling in any gaps, until they are all in the skillet.
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, undisturbed, until pears are fork-tender and color develops to the liquid, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place a baking sheet on a rack in the lower third of the oven.
• Remove skillet from heat and place unbaked pie shell on top of the fruit, using a fork to tuck the edges of the pie shell toward the bottom of the skillet. Place skillet on the prepared baking sheet in the preheated oven. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake until crust is brown, 28 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Place a heat-safe plate, larger than the skillet, upside down over the crust.
• Use oven mitts to grab the plate and skillet together and quickly flip the skillet contents onto the plate; this move is tricky and requires some forearm strength and dexterity. After the flip, if the contents are not centered on the plate, use a spatula to gently move to the center. Add any fruit that remained in the skillet, and drizzle any remaining liquid over the top of the tarte tatin.
• Allow to sit 15-20 minutes, then serve warm.

MARIO BATALI'S PEAR TART TATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 4 tablespoons Butter 1/2 cup Sugar In a large ovenproof saute pan melt butter over medium-high heat. Once bubbling sprinkle in sugar. 4-5 Ripe and Firm Pears (peeled and cored and then halved lengthwise) Add pears to pan cut-side down. Cook until sugar begins to turn light golden brown. 1 Package Quality Puff Pastry (thawed) Top with puff pastry tucking edges into the pan. Transfer to preheated oven and cook for 25 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Vanilla Ice Cream to serve Place the serving side of a larger flat platter over pan. Platter should be larger than the pan. Carefully flip platter and pan to reveal tarte. Serve with ice cream.

TART TATIN (MARIO BATALI)

Steps:

• Peel and core the apples whole, then halve them crosswise to create doughnut-shaped rounds. In a bowl, toss the apple halves gently with the lemon juice and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Set aside for 30 minutes in the fridge.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• In a 12-inch ovenproof skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Sprinkle in the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and swirl it in the pan until it becomes a golden brown caramel, slightly chunky with granules of unmelted sugar, then remove from the heat.
• Lay the apples in the skillet, arranging 6 rounds on the perimeter and one in the center.
• Cut the remaining 3 apple rounds into 1/2-inch pieces and slide them in between the halves to make it a tight configuration.
• Return the pan to the stovetop over medium heat and cook the apples in the caramel for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Roll out your puff pastry to a 13- to 14-inch piece and trim it to a circle. Remove the skillet from the heat and lay the pastry round over the apples.
• The caramel will be extremely hot, so do not touch it with bare fingers, but use a spatula to tuck the edges of the pastry around the apples toward the bottom of the pan, to create a lip on the final tart.
• At this point, it does not need to look perfect, and if the pastry does not fit exactly, do not fret-just make sure that you can patch together a full cover for the apples and that the pastry (pastry quilt, if you will) goes to the edges of the apples and down over that outer edge.
• Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes-darker is better than lighter.