140 g Sugar
120 g Butter; cut into 1/2 inch
; cubes
10 Comice pears; (depending on
-size),
; up to 15
1 ts Cinnamon powder
250 g Puff pastry; rolled out and
-cut
; into a 10 inch disc
; and pierced with a
; fork
100 ml Cream
1 Sachet saffron powder
1 tb Pureed stem ginger
Place the sugar in a thick bottomed 10 inch shallow saucepan and caramelise
on medium heat, barely moving to prevent crystallisation. When you have a
medium brown caramel take off the heat, add half the butter, melt into the
caramelised sugar and set aside.
Peel the pears, core and place sideways in a circle, with the stalk end
pointing inwards, on the cooled and hardened caramel. fill the centre with
more pears and place the rest of the butter with the cinnamon on top of the
pears. Heat and cook the pears on medium heat for 5-10 minutes before
placing it in the oven on 180C/gas4 for 35-40 minutes.
Place the puff pastry on the pears and tuck down the sides and put back in
the oven for another 30 minutes. When pastry is golden brown and crisp,
pour off any liquid before turning out the tarte tatin.
Reduce the liquid to a syrup. Whip the cream with the saffron to a soft
peak and add the ginger puree. Cut the tarte tatin into 6 pieces, place on
plates, pour over the pear syrup with a large dollop of saffron and ginger
cream on the side and sprinkle with icing sugar.
Yields
6 servings