Making a tarte tatin has been on my to-do list for waaaaaaaaay too long! That’s a lot of a’s, right?!? I guess the idea of a fancy schmancy tarte always intimidated me but it turns out, only the name is fancy. Really, making a tarte tatin is as easy as making pie. And by using pre-made puff pastry instead of pie dough, it’s even easier!! I love all those flakey layers of pastry, the caramelized fruit and a majorly cool presentation. How could anyone NOT be impressed when a tarte tatin comes out to the table??? Oh, and please warm it up and serve with vanilla bean ice cream. Please!!! Inspired by Rosh Hashanah (The Jewish New Year) coming up soon, I used honey instead of sugar in the caramel for a sweet new year and beautiful figs, which are considered a “new fruit” for the fall season. And for a little added crunch, I sprinkled chopped pistachios over the top and drizzled the tarte tatin with even more honey.
I sliced the figs and put them in the dry cast iron skillet to make sure I had enough. That way when the caramel was ready, I didn’t feel so stressed out fitting them in the pan cut side down. No stress, no mess!
Step by step, bit by bit….
I seriously love pre-made puff pastry. You can make this tarte tatin dairy free too!
In my happy place. Hoping for a happy and sweet new year with this one!
So many textures in every bite. A little soft, a little crunch, a little flake.
Fig and Honey Tarte Tatin
Ingredients
- 24 figs, sliced in half
- 4 Tbsp butter or margarine
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- pistachios, for garnish
Instructions
- Defrost puff pastry and using a rolling pin, roll out the pastry until smooth and a bit larger than the size of a 9-10 inch cast iron skillet. Refrigerate puff pastry until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In the cast iron skillet set over medium heat, melt the butter and honey, stirring occasionally. When the butter and honey begin to bubble, allow to cook for 5-8 minutes until thick and a dark caramel color. Add the lemon juice and salt, stir and remove from the heat.
- Place the halved figs, cut side down, on top of the caramel. Squeeze the figs tightly together in the pan.
- Remove the puff pastry from the fridge and lay it directly on top of the figs and caramel. Tuck the edges of the pastry into the pan and prick with a fork.
- Bake the tarte tatin for 30-35 minutes, until pastry is golden brown and puffed up.
- Cool the tarte Tatin briefly, for 5-10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pastry to separate it from the pan. Shake the skillet a few times to loosen the figs in the caramel sauce. Place a pie plate over the top of the skillet. Using oven mitts, grip the plate and the skillet and quickly turn them both over so the pie plate is on the bottom and the skillet is on top. Gently lift the skillet away and re-arrange any figs that may not have made it perfectly on to the tarte tatin. Don’t worry, it’s totally normal for that to happen! Scrape any remaining caramel sauce from the pan and drizzle over the tarte tatin.
