Tarte tatin, like most French food, has a reputation for being difficult but is easy to pare down without too much compromise. This version uses a bun tin so you don’t need the oven-safe pan most recipes demand, and when you buy pre-made pastry (puff pastry or shortcrust – your choice) it’s literally a case of cooking fruit in caramel, assembling it in a tin and baking it. This can be done in 30 minutes, and while the results aren’t exactly authentic, they’re perfect for picnics and potlucks.
Usually this is made with apples, but most fruit will work – I’ve even seen banana slices used. Right now I’m obsessed with persimmons, so I’ve used them for a still-seasonal variation.
The recipe I’ve given below is non-vegan, but is easy to veganise – just use non-dairy margarine and light brown or demerara sugar and check that the pastry you’re using is vegan (Jus-Rol and Tesco’s own brand both are). The darker sugar is important for colour as the margarine doesn’t temper the same way as butter, but it doesn’t make a huge difference to the taste.
Ingredients
Makes 12. You will also need a shallow bun tray and a flat baking tray!
- One ripe persimmon (two for a better fruit:pastry ratio than mine)
- 25g unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons honey or sugar
- One roll of pre-made puff pastry (use shortcrust if you prefer)
- Preheat your oven to 200ºC.
- Slice the persimmon thinly, widthways (so that the seeds create a flower pattern in the middle of each slice). Set aside.
- Melt the butter on low heat, then add the honey. Turn down to the lowest heat and leave to caramelise; after a couple of minutes, it will bubble and darken. Add the persimmon slices, making sure they don’t overlap, and simmer for a couple of minutes so that they take on a little colour.
- Using a spoon, divide the persimmon slices between the indents on your tray and spoon the remaining caramel on top.
- Unroll your pastry and prick it with holes all over with a fork (this is especially important for puff pastry, or it’ll balloon instead of lying flat). Use the rim of a glass to cut out enough circles to cover all of the indents.
- Cover each indent with a circle of pastry; press it down over the persimmon and fold the edges in so that the pastry is only resting on the persimmon (see this photo to get what I mean).
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden.
- Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes, or until the tray is cool enough to handle. If the pastry is puffy, gently flatten it. Cover the tray with a flat baking tray, then turn upside down and knock each indent gently to release the tartes.
