Pear Tarte Tatin (Rustic French Pear Pie)
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This rustic-looking pear tarte tatin, or French pear pie recipe, looks incredibly impressive but is secretly easy to make! Fresh, ripe, caramelized pears nestle in a simple all-butter pie crust creating a crowd-pleasing dessert perfect for the holiday season.
Why you’ll love this pear tarte tatin:
This elegant-looking pear tarte tatin is a light and fruity dessert that makes for the perfect after-dinner treat. Here’s why it’s such a crowd-pleasing recipe:
- With its elegant presentation, this recipe looks truly gourmet but comes together with simple steps and a prep time of just 10 minutes.
- Made with ripe caramelized pears, this dessert offers a unique flavor that is a nice switch up from apple tarte tatin recipes and can easily fit into any season.
- If you want to prepare in advance or are lucky enough to have leftovers, this tarte tatin will stay fresh in the refrigerator for several days.
Easily prepared using basic kitchen equipment, you can whip up this upside-down French pear pie in just over an hour for a dessert that’s guaranteed to wow your guests!
Key Ingredient Notes:
- Pears – You can use Bosc, Bartlett, or Andjou. Pick ripe, firm pears to make this pie. Pears that are too soft will turn to mush!
- Lemon juice – Use the juice of one lemon or produce protector to prevent the pears from browning.
- Butter – I prefer unsalted butter to brown the pears but salted will also work.
- Sugar – A combination of white granulated sugar and light brown sugar adds amazing flavor to the caramelized pears.
- Spices – Ground cinnamon and nutmeg add warming flavors and extra depth to balance out the sweetness of the sugar. Nutmeg loses its flavor quickly once it’s grated, that’s why I always recommend grating a whole nutmeg yourself.
- Pie crust – Use a homemade pie crust, or pick one up at the grocery store!
How to make pear tarte tatin:
Before you begin, preheat the oven to 400°F.
1. Prepare THE PEARS
- Peel and core the pears. Cut the pears into quarters, but leave one pear halved to place in the center of the pie.
- Drizzle the pears with lemon juice to prevent them from browning.
2. Cook the pears
- Melt the butter in an oven-safe 10-inch skillet or pan over medium heat.
- Add the sugars, and cook until the mixture bubbles and turns slightly brown.
- Place the pear half in the middle of the pan, and arrange the pear quarters around it.
- Cook the pears uncovered until the butter mixture is caramelized and turns deep brown in color.
3. Add the pie crust and Bake
- Roll the pie dough into a 10-inch circle.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon and nutmeg over the pears, and remove the skillet from the stove.
- Cover the cooked pears with the pie dough.
- Bake until the crust is golden brown and crispy.
4. Invert the pie
- Immediately cover the pie with a lid, and tilt the skillet to pour the pear syrup into a small bowl. Be careful not to burn yourself.
- Place a 9-inch pie plate over the skillet, and flip the pie over.
- Allow your French pear pie to cool to room temperature before serving. If desired, serve with homemade whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream and the pear syrup.
Flip carefully
When you flip the pie, wear oven mitts and carefully flip the skillet AWAY from yourself to prevent burning your hands or wrists!
Tips for Success:
- Make sure your pears are still firm. You want them ripe so they are sweet but not so ripe that they are mushy.
- Use a cast iron pan or oven-safe skillet. This allows for easy transferring from the stovetop to the oven.
- Don’t overcook the pears when caramelizing. Remember, they will continue to cook when the tarte tatin bakes. So, be sure to remove them from the heat as soon as they brown!
Make-Ahead Tips:
When preparing for holidays and special occasions, I love to prep this pear tarte tatin in advance!
- You can store cooked and cooled pear tarte tatin in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil before storing, and thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, bring the pie to room temperature when you’re ready to serve.
- Alternatively, prepare the pie dough, and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bring it to room temperature before using. Then, assemble the tarte, and bake as usual.
Storing Tips:
Cover any leftovers with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Allow the pie to come to room temperature before serving. Or, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to take the chill out. It will taste as good as new!
FAQs:
You can use any type of pears you like best. Bosc, Bartlett, or Andjou all work great. Just make sure they’re ripe and not too soft!
Sure! Feel free to substitute the pears with baking apples, quince, or plums, Or, use a mixture for a unique taste.
I highly recommend peeling the pears before cooking.
More Pie Recipes:
Pear Tarte Tatin
Ingredients
- 4-5 ripe firm pears Note 1
- Juice of one lemon or produce protector
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup (65 g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (65 g) light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 pie dough
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Peel and core the pears. Quarter them, but leave one half of the pear for the center. Sprinkle some lemon juice, or produce protector to prevent the pears from browning.
- In an oven-safe 10-inch skillet, melt the butter on medium heat.
- Add the sugars and cook until the mixture bubbles and turns slightly brown.
- Place the reserved pear half in the middle of the pan. And arrange the pear quarters around the half pear cut size up.
- Cook the pears uncovered until the butter mixture is caramelized and turned deep brown color, 15-20 minutes.
- Roll the pie dough into 10-inch circle.
- Sprinkle ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg over the pears.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and place it on the baking sheet.
- Cover the pears with pie crust. Tuck in the edges, using a spatula, if necessary.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned.
- Cover the pie with a lid and very carefully tilt the skillet slightly to pour the sauce into a small bowl. Be very careful not to burn yourself.
- Place 9-inch pie dish over the skillet and quickly flip the pie over. When you flip, make sure to put oven mitts on and flip AWAY from yourself.
- Cool to room temperature before serving. If desired, serve with homemade whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.
Tips & Notes
– Store leftovers wrapped with plastic wrap or aluminum foil in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
– Freeze the pear tarte tatin for up to 2-3 months. Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil. Thaw in the fridge overnight, and bring to room temperature to serve.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on January 10th, 2014.
My pears burnt to a crisp after 20 min on low. Guess I’m an awful cook
Hi, Connie. That doesn’t sound right at all. I cook my pears and caramel sauce on medium heat, and it takes about 30 minutes to caramelize. So, it’s being burnt on low sounds weird to me. But everyone’s stove is different.
We made this dish last Christmas. Fast forward to this Christmas, when we took a poll on what to have for Christmas dinner, this dish was the only unanimous selection! Glad I kept the recipe! It may become a tradition!!
Yay, so happy to hear it was a hit, Scott. Glad you were able to come back again this year. Thank you for your feedback!
When you add brown sugar, how do you tell when it is golden and bubbly when it’s brown from the start?
Hi, Guy. So when you add both granulated and brown sugars into the melted butter, the mixture won’t be totally brown. The color will deepen as it starts bubbling. I appreciate your question, and I’ll update the recipe with more details.
Hullo! I was making the New Basics pear tatin and decided to check the internets for reviews, and found this blog. I put cinnamon and nutmeg on it like you (which the original recipe didn’t have) and I also made a vanilla/tiny bit of white wine glaze with the leftovers in the pan. MMmmmmm. It came out deliciously! Thank you for the inspiration! 🙂
Now – how do you store it? Do you have to put it in the fridge, or…? *headscratch* I’ve never made a tart!
Hi, Anna! I’m glad my recipe inspired you. 🙂 White wine in the glaze sounds awesome! I will try that next time. To store, just refrigerate it for up to 2-3 days. Mine never last that long though. 🙂
I ended up sort-of-accidentally leaving it on the counter for about 3 days covered in a paper towel, and it was just fine. People who came over to my apartment would snag a slice now and then on the way by! But it was probably a little risky of me to leave it out… o_O
I tend to put everything cooked in the fridge right away. 🙂
it looks delicious!
Thank you, Dina! 🙂