#tartin

SALTED HONEY + VANILLA BEAN PEAR TARTE TATIN

 The Kitchen Mccabe

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PUFF PASTRY:

1⅔ cup Flour

¼ teaspoon Salt

8 ounces Grass-fed Butter, cold

½ cup Ice cold Water

extra flour for dusting

FOR THE PEAR TOPPING:

¼ cup Fine Raw Cane Sugar

¼ teaspoon Sea Salt

Seeds of 1 Vanilla Bean

¼ cup Honey

6 tablespoons Grass-fed Butter, cut into small cubes

4 Bosc or D'anjou Pears, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼" thick slices

INSTRUCTIONS

FOR THE PUFF PASTRY:

Place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and toss into the flour. Using a pastry cutter or two butter knives, slice the butter into the flour until it is pea-sized. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the water. Mix together lightly to form a dough. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and pat into the shape of a rectangle. Flour the top lightly and roll out to about half the thickness (the first part of this process will be a bit messy). Using a bench scraper, scrape under the top third of the rectangle and fold it over on top of the dough rectangle. Do the same thing with the bottom third of the dough so that you have formed a rectangle with three layers that is now laying horizontally. Turn the rectangle so that it is facing you vertically again and repeat the process of rolling, scraping, and turning, until you have done it about 10 times (use as much flour as is needed to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin and counter, but not so much that it becomes dry). At this point you will have developed several flaky layers of pastry. Butter smears should be visible in the dough (this is where the flaky-ness comes from.

Place the dough on a sheet of parchment paper (flour lightly) and roll into a 12½" wide circle. Place in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

FOR THE PEAR TOPPING:

Place the sugar, salt, and vanilla beans in a small bowl. Use your finger tips to rub the vanilla beans into the sugar - this will help distribute the vanilla beans and keep them from clumping up.

Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over a 12" round cast iron skillet. Drizzle the honey evenly around the pan and place the cubes of butter evenly around the pan, as well.

Place the skillet over medium/high heat and cook until the sugar and butter begin to melt. Continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally, just until the mixture begins bubbling heavily (sugars should be fully dissolved). You don't wan't to start caramelizing the syrup yet as honey burns easily!

Remove pan from heat and arrange the sliced pears over the syrup in circles.

Take the chilled puff pastry circle out of the fridge and place over the top of the pears, tucking the edges down into the pan.

Place the skillet in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the puff pastry top is a golden brown.

Remove from the oven and VERY CAREFULLY invert the pan onto a large serving dish. Don't let the hot caramel run out and burn you!

Let cool for 10 minutes.

If you like, you can drizzle a little honey over the top for extra shine and sweetness.