Autumn arrives, and with it, all of the pears you could ever want.

A subtly sweet fruit with a gentle texture, there is something delicate and special about pears especially if we have been used to associating fall with apples. Reaching for pears instead as we make our cozy desserts of the season brings a different flavor that suits changing up the components to complement one another rather than compete.

A classic French dessert is a Tarte Tatin, and while we often associate this dish with apples, why not make it with pears! And! With a red wine sauce while we’re at it ☺️. Essentially, what we are doing today is poaching pears in a red wine of our choosing so that the flavor is to our preference (as the wine will reduce and intensify in flavor) and letting the pears baste in that flavor adding to a delicious bite each and every time. Add a sweet pastry, and well you just can’t go wrong.

Now you will see I am smiling throughout this episode and in the shots captured here, and for good reason as you need a sense of humor when it comes to Tarte Tatins because when baking and cooking with caramel, things can get a little sticky. And sometimes, often in my case if I am being honest, the finished look after flipping the dish isn’t perfect. However, as I will share in the concluding segments of today’s episode, just because a dish doesn’t look beautiful or as you might have hoped, doesn’t mean it’s not delicious, and that is most definitely the case with Tarte Tatin aux Poires in red wine sauce.

We will add a bit of cinnamon for a subtle warm spice, a dash of pear liqueur, and to ensure the wine complements beautifully, we will select a dependably delicious French varietal. Bien sûr !

Do join me and discover how imperfection doesn”t need to get in the way of making a delicious dish nor having a wonderfully and successful time in the kitchen. After all, humility is a worthwhile quality and that includes when we step into the kitchen and then share our creations. ☺️

Now to the episode!

Links shared during the episode:

• Filt net bags from Normandy
• Mauviel copper tarte tatin mold with ears (various sizes)

~Cook & Share! I would love to share your Simply Luxurious Kitchen inspired experiences from your kitchen. Tag me on Instagram with @thesimplyluxuriouslife #tslkitchen (or directly tag @tsllcookingshow) and your post could appear on my Instagram feed as well as on a future Show Notes post (see readers’ pics below). Many readers have already shared their meals inspired by recipes from TSLKitchen. Check out TSLL’s IG Story Highlights – titled, Viewers’ Recipes. Below are a few readers that have shared recipes and pics that caught their eye (and tastebuds ?) since last season concluded. Thank you to everyone who has shared!

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Tarte Tatin aux Poires (and red wine sauce)

Simply Luxurious

A subtle shift on the classic Tarte Tatin as we're using pears as the autumnal fruit instead of apples, and then adding a red wine reduction to elevate the flavor, complete with warm spices and a topping off with a sweet pastry. Subtle changes that make a delicious difference.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

  

Tart Ingredients

• 14 oz puff pastry (pre-purchased), or make your own sweet tart pastry (ingredients included below)
• 2 cups favorite red wine you prefer to drink
• 2-3 sticks cinnamon (substitute with ground cinnamon if sticks are not available, about 1-2 tsp)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3-5 pears barlett or your preference halved, peeled and cored
• 1 tbsp pear liqueur

Sweet Pastry (rough cut)

• 1 cup pastry four
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3-4 Tbsp cold water or orange juice just enough to bring the dry ingredients together

Instructions

 

Pastry

• In a food processor combine all of the dry ingredients and then add the butter. Pulse until coarsely combined. Then gradually add the liquid of choice (water or OJ), add enough for the dough to come together but not smooth. It should still be non-sticky to the touch. (If it is sticky, you've pulsed too much. To remedy, add a couple more tablespoons of flour and pulse 1-3 times until just combined._
• Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes and remove when ready to use and place on top of the pears before baking.

Tart (Pear) Filling

• Pour the wine and add the cinnamon sticks (or ground cinnamon) to a small sauce pan and cook over med-high heat until the liquid is more than ¾ reduced. This will take about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and discard the cinnamon sticks.
• In a traditional tarte tatin mold (as shown in the video) or 10-12 inch skillet (oven-proof), combine the sugar and water. Caramelize the sugar, stirring regularly over med heat until a med brown/amber color is seen. Be patient, stirring occasionally and checking often. This will take about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Add to the caramelized sugar the reduced red wine syrup as well as the butter and liqueur (optional, but a delicious idea if you do ;)). Cook for about one minute to combine and loosen any caramel that has hardened – stirring to do so. 
• Having prepared the pear halves already (while the sugar is caramelizing), add the pear halves to the skillet (8-12). You will turn them as you cook them over the 15-20 minutes but when they are finished cooking, arrange them in the skillet as you choose based on what you want to see when you present. Remember the bottom of the skillet will be what is seen. The pears should be tender at this point and the pan juices are syrupy. Turn off the heat and let cool for about 20-30 minutes so that your pastry won't melt (so to speak) when placed on top of the pears.
• Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 Celsius). 
• Take out the pastry dough from the fridge and roll out so that about 2” of pastry will fall over the side of the skillet when placed atop. 
• Place the pastry on top of the pears in the skillet, tucking the edges overhanging into the inside of the skillet to create an edge, patching if any holes appear. This does not have to be neat remember because is the bottom of the dish as it will be flipped before serving.
• Bake for about 50 minutes to 1 hour or until deep golden brown.  Before you let it cool, run the back of a knife around the interior edge of the pan. Let the tart cool in the skillet for only about 5 minutes before flipping it. Carefully remove do so by placing a large plate or platter on the top of the skillet and over a counter to catch any drips. Let cool further for 10-15 minutes before serving. 
• Serve warm with gelato or Chantilly cream and of course a hot cuppa!

Episodes from the Past You Might Enjoy

Saumon en Croute (Salmon in Pastry), episode #3, season 7

Apple Tarte Tatin (plus how to polish your copper), episode #3, season 2

How to Make a Classic French Soufflé au Fromage avec Herbes, episode #5, season 5

~Explore all of the past seasons of the cooking show here.