Peach Tarte Tatin
A tarte tatin is a joyous dessert that celebrates fruit in all its glory. To simplify things, I’ve used store-bought puff pastry, but you can also use your favorite pie crust or shortcrust pastry. A spoonful of lightly sweetened creme fraiche or a big scoop of vanilla or peach ice cream is a beautiful accompaniment to make this extra special.
A problem with ripe peaches, nectarines, and other stone fruits is that they release a lot of water while cooking, which makes things very syrupy. Some cooks add flour to the sugar before baking, but I prefer to let the peach syrup develop in the pan and then use it to make a glaze for the tarte tatin. It holds the peaches much more nicely together.
- Yield: 4 to 6
Ingredients
2 Tbsp unsalted butter plus extra to grease the baking dish
1/4 cup/50 g packed light or dark brown sugar
One sheet puff pastry, thawed
4 ripe/total weight about 1 lb/455 g yellow peaches or nectarines, pitted
2 Tbsp Peach Schnapps or brandy (optional)
1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste (see Notes)
1 tsp all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. Lightly grease a 9 in/23 cm circular baking dish with butter. Dot the pan with the remaining butter.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar on top of the pan.
- Cut the peaches into eight slices and place them in a large mixing bowl. Add the Peach Schnapps and vanilla, toss, and fold gently to coat well. Layer the peaches in a single layer to cover the entire pan.
- Cut a 9 in/23 cm circle from the sheet of puff pastry and place it on top of the peaches. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry puffs up and the top is golden brown. Remove the baking dish from the oven.
- Use a turkey baster, soup spoon, or ladle to collect the liquids left behind in the pan. Transfer the liquids to a small saucepan.
- Place a serving plate on top of the baking dish, hold tightly, and carefully flip the pan to release the tarte. It will be hot, and the peaches should be stuck to the pastry.
- Whisk the flour into the reserved peach liquids in the saucepan until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thickened. It should cover the back of a spoon and if you draw a line with your finger, the line should hold. Drizzle this hot liquid over the peaches on the tarte tatin to cover and glaze the top. Serve warm with vanilla or peach ice cream if desired. This tastes best the day it’s made and eaten within a few hours. Leftovers are good for up to 1 day if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
- I prefer making tarte tatins in metal baking dishes. Avoid glass, ceramic, and non-stick dishes. Glass and ceramic are heavy and can become tricky when flipping the dish to release the tarte tatin, and non-stick bakeware can burn things because they heat too quickly.
2 Responses
Cream of tarter? Not seeing that in the recipe…amount? Thanks
I do not use flour but let the glaze form by just reducing it
Let the tart cool a bit before you flip as it is bound to flop too and you get burn by hot caramel sauce