The heat is on! The holiday season is here and there’ll be many occasions to dine and dazzle our family and friends over the next month. Here is a dessert that delivers a lot of wow without a lot of work. It’s seasonal, sophisticated and the perfect ending to a celebratory meal. And, like a shiny ruby gem, it looks real pretty too. A spicy red wine reduction adds extra dimension to the caramel that ripe Bartlett pears cook in, turning them silky and lush. Store-bought (yes, store-bought!) puff pastry makes a light and crumbly crust for the tart, and creme fraiche is the perfect tangy topping to serve alongside. This delectable tart will certainly impress your guests…it can be our little secret that it was a piece of cake to make.
Red Wine Pear Tarte Tatin
I’ve made several variations of tarte tatin before, but I was particularly struck by the addition of red wine in this version from Food & Wine Magazine. This tart is quite easy to prepare: you can reduce the wine in advance, and even cook the pears before your party, making it a perfect choice for entertaining.
You’ll need plenty of red wine to make the syrup, which is then reduced down a lot. Please don’t be tempted to go cheap on the wine: when you make a reduction, you intensify the flavors and if they’re not great to begin with, they’ll be worse at the end. As a rule of thumb, you should always cook with wine that you would also like to drink. In a small saucepan, add the red wine and cinnamon sticks and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Continue to cook to reduce the wine to 1/4 cup, about 15 minutes. Let the syrup cool–you can make this a day in advance and reserve.
Bartlett pears are a great variety to use for this dessert–they are firm and have a nice buttery flavor. Be sure to pick ones that are ripe but not too soft. Peel and halve 6 to 7 pears. An easy way to core them is to use a melon baller to gently remove the core, and a small paring knife to slice out the stem of each pear.
Place the sugar and water in a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium high heat. Cook sugar until it turns golden, gently swirling the pan. An amber caramel should form in about 5 minutes. Keep your eye on this–it can burn in a second and then you’ll have to start over.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the red wine syrup, unsalted butter and pear liqueur, if you have it.
I am lucky to have this wonderful homemade pear liqueur given to us by my brother-in-law from France, which has come in handy for a few recipes, but is also delicious to drink chilled as an aperitif–we keep it in the freezer.
Cook the caramel over low heat, until it bubbles and softens, about a minute. Add the pear halves to the skillet and cook, turning occasionally, until the pears are tender and the juices in the pan are syrupy, about 20 minutes.
Turn all the pears so they are cut side up and fit in one layer in the pan. Let cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Puff pastry is something I will probably never make myself because it is extremely labor intensive and time consuming. So I use the store-bought kind instead and, because this tart was for a special occasion, I splurged for a good quality brand. DuFour is all butter and made without additives. You can certainly substitute a more commonly found brand like Pepperidge Farm instead. Thaw dough according to package directions.
Lightly flour your work surface. Lay down the sheet of dough and roll it out with a floured rolling pin. Using a pot lid as a template, cut out a 12 inch round. Use the tip of your knife to cut four steam vents in the center of the dough. Lay the dough over the pears and tuck the edges into the skillet. You can prepare this in advance and let it rest until just before you’re ready to serve.
Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. The pastry should be nicely golden and puffed. Remove from the oven and let the tarte tatin rest for about 15 minutes.
Very carefully, invert the pan onto a serving platter and serve immediately. I love to plate each wedge with a large dollop of creme fraiche, which is a tantalizingly tangy and creamy contrast to the dense, rich pears and the light and crumbly tarte.
Adapted from Food & Wine
Serves 8:
2 cups dry red wine
2 cinnamon sticks
6 to 7 firm-ripe Bartlett pears
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon pear liqueur (optional)
1 14 ounce sheet all-butter puff pastry
creme fraiche, as an accompaniment
