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Pear and walnut upside-down tart with crème fraîche
Serves 8 Cakes, Bread and Pastries
For the rough-puff pastry
- 250g plain flour
- 250g unsalted butter, firm but not chilled (remove from the fridge 2 hours before use)
- 1tsp salt
- 125ml iced water
For the tart
- 150g caster sugar
- 100g unsalted butter, cubed 3 ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut in half vertically
- 1 large egg white handful walnuts, toasted
To serve
- 200ml crème fraîche
Method
To make the pastry, pour the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Dice the butter and add to the centre of the well along with the salt. Gradually mix the ingredients together with your fingertips. When the cubes of butter have become very small and the mixture resembles rubble (you should still be able to see some small chunks of butter), add a little of the iced water and mix together. Continue adding the water slowly until you have a firm dough (you may not need all the water). Mix until combined, but do not be tempted to knead the dough.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll into a 30 x 30cm square. Fold into thirds, as if folding a letter, to make three layers. Turn vertically through 180 degrees, roll to flatten and then fold again. Turn again through 180 degrees and repeat. Chill the pastry for 20 minutes, then roll and fold the pastry twice more as above. Keep in the fridge until needed.
Preheat the oven to 200C/ 180C F/Gas 6. To make a caramel for the tart, put the sugar in a heavy-bottomed, oven-safe 28cm frying pan over a medium–low heat. Leave to cook, without stirring, for around 10 minutes or until it has melted and starts to bubble (you may find it helpful to gently swirl the pan once or twice towards the end). Remove from the heat and carefully add the butter, whisking constantly until combined. If it splits, put it back over a low heat and whisk continuously until it comes together. Arrange the pears, core side up, in a circle around the pan.
Roll out the pastry into a circle large enough to cover the pears and place gently over the top, pushing down the pastry around the sides. Make a hole in the middle and brush with the egg white. Bake for 30–40 minutes until golden brown, then remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes, as the caramel will be piping hot and can easily burn.
To remove the tart from the pan, place a large plate on top of the pan and, with both hands, squeeze the plate and pan together and flip over in one quick movement. This will move the pastry to the bottom and reveal the caramelised pears.
Sprinkle with the walnuts and serve with the crème fraîche.
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