Pear & Ginger Tarte Tatin For Two

A gooey, delicious pear and ginger upside-down tart that serves just two people

📝 Ingredients

• 75 g (scant 2/3 cup) plain flour
• 15 g (2 tbsp) icing (powdered) sugar
• pinch salt
• 40 g (3 tbsp) cold butter, cubed
• 1 medium egg yolk
• 1/2 to 1 tbsp ice cold water
• 2 medium pears (ripe but firm)
• 65 g (1/3 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 tbsp water
• 15 g (1 tbsp) butter
• 1 ball stem ginger (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp stem ginger syrup
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch salt

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1To make the pastry, mix together the flour, icing sugar and salt. Add the butter and rub in until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the egg yolk then add enough ice water to bring it together into a soft dough. Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
2. 2Peel and core the pears and cut each into 8 slices, set aside.
3. 3Place a 15cm/6in cast iron skillet or oven proof frying pan over the heat, sprinkle the sugar evenly over the base and add the tablespoon of water. Heat, swirling the pan regularly, until the sugar has melted and turned caramel. Immediately remove from the heat and stir in the butter then the stem ginger, ginger syrup, ground ginger and cinnamon and the salt.
4. 4Add the pear slices and stir to coat in the caramel. Return the pan to a low heat and cook, stirring regularly, for 10-15 minutes until the pears have shrunk and softened slightly but still retain their shape.
5. 5Set aside until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5.
6. 6Once the pears have cooled, arrange them in a single layer in the skillet. Roll out the pastry to about 5mm thick (you want it a bit thicker than you would usually roll it) and cut out a circle a couple of centimeters larger than the diameter of your skillet.
7. 7Place the circle of pastry over the pears and tuck the edges down in between the fruit and the sides of the skillet.
8. 8Bake for about 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for about 5 minutes - until the caramel stops bubbling.
9. 9Place a plate (one with a bit of a rim - there will be caramel spill-over) over the top of the skillet and carefully invert the tart onto the plate, rearrange the pears if need be.
10. 10Serve warm, with a dollop of ice cream.