With relatively few ingredients, there’s not a lot that can go wrong with a tarte tatin recipe ... you might think.
I – and I’m sure the contestants of the BBC’s most recent series of the Great British Bake Off – would disagree! But once you’ve mastered the art, there are few more satisfying desserts.
Although the apples on the tree in my garden are slowly growing, I couldn’t say no to another fruit that’s in season at the moment: soft, sweet figs.
I hope you’re able to resist your tarte slightly longer than I was. I managed to devour two pieces before my other half even got near it!
[img_assist|nid=3387|title=|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=640|height=427]
Preparation time, 15 minutes; baking time, 30 minutes
Ingredients
100g caster sugar
50g unsalted butter, cubed
320g ready-made puff pastry
9 figs, halved lengthways
[img_assist|nid=3388|title=|desc=|link=node|align=middle|width=640|height=427]
Method
Preheat the oven to 200 ºC. Remove the pastry from the fridge and unroll. Place a 23cm ovenproof frying pan over the pastry and cut around it. Remove the excess pastry and put the circle of cut pastry to one side to be used later.
[img_assist|nid=3389|title=|desc=|link=node|align=middle|width=640|height=427]
Place the frying pan over a medium heat for a minute before adding the sugar. After a few minutes, the sugar will start to melt around the edges. At this stage give the pan a shake to move the contents around slightly. Once most of the sugar has melted and turned to liquid, give it a gentle stir until all the sugar has melted and the liquid is a deep rich caramel colour.
[img_assist|nid=3390|title=|desc=|link=node|align=middle|width=427|height=640]
Turn the heat down and add the figs with the sliced surface facing down. Pack them in nice and tight so that it almost feels as if there are too many in the pan. As they cook, they will reduce in size. Leave the figs to cook in the caramel for approximately 5 minutes or until they start to soften.
[img_assist|nid=3391|title=|desc=|link=node|align=middle|width=640|height=427]
Remove the pan from the heat and add the cubed butter, placing it in-between the figs. Place the pastry over the top, tucking the edges under the figs if possible. It’s best to use a wooden spoon to do this so that you don’t touch the hot caramel.
Bake the tarte in the oven for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crispy on top. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before turning out. Whatever you do, do not pick up the hot pan once it’s out of the oven. I did it and it’s not fun!
[img_assist|nid=3392|title=|desc=|link=node|align=middle|width=640|height=427]
To turn out, place a serving plate or board which is larger than the pan over the top of the pan and quickly turn over. Leave to cool for a further 5 minutes before dividing up into portions. Serve with ice cream.
[img_assist|nid=3393|title=|desc=|link=node|align=middle|width=640|height=427]