peach tarte tatin

stonefruit season part two!

tarte tatin is traditionally made in a single pan, started on the stove top and finished in the oven which requires you to have an ovenproof frying pan

what if you don’t?

this is what i’m calling my ‘holiday house’ method, which requires only a regular frying pan, and a pie tin - no candy thermometer, no cast iron, no special equipment

serves eight or four with leftovers for breakfast

ingredients

puff pastry

96g plain flour, plus more for dusting

4g caster sugar

2.5g salt

20g butter, softened

1/4 tsp white vinegar

40g water

76g butter for the butter block

peach filling

4 peaches

150g white sugar

squeeze lemon juice

30g butter

pinch salt

method

puff pastry

sift together the flour (96g), sugar (4g), and salt (2.5g) into a large bowl

add the softened butter (20g) and rub in with your fingertips until completely worked into the flour

make a well in the centre and slowly pour in the water (80g) and vinegar (0.25 tsp) while whisking together with a fork to combine a rough dough

gently stir together until just combined

turn out onto a well floured benchtop and shape into a rough rectangle

wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for at least two hours

prepare the butter block by cutting the butter (76g) into 5mm thick slabs and arranging in a rectangle (mine was about 10cm by 15cm) on a sheet of baking paper

hand laminate the dough for a total of three book folds (see here for full instructions)

once the final fold has been completed and the dough has rested, roll out to a 6mm thick disc

cut the dough to a circle slightly larger than the base of your pie tin

slash the centre, then cover and transfer to the fridge to chill while you prepare the filling

peach filling

preheat the oven to 180°C

slice the peaches (4) and set aside

add the sugar (150g) to a clean, dry frying pan over medium heat

let cook without stirring until the sugar starts to liquefy in patches

add a squeeze of lemon juice, and stir until all the sugar has liquefied and the caramel has started to brown

add the butter (30g) and a generous pinch of salt, and whisk to combine

add the peach slices and toss in the caramel

let cook for 5 minutes

strain and reserve the peachy caramel liquid

pour about 2 tbsp of the reserved peach caramel into the base of the pie tin

arrange the peach slices (beware: hot!) in the base of the pie tin, fitting as many of the peach slices as you can

note you could stop here and cover the pie tin and finish baking it the next day as required

lay the pastry disc over the top of the peach slices, tucking in the edges

bake 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and crisp on top

let the tart cool for 10 minutes (but no longer! otherwise the caramel may harden and stick the peaches to the tin when you go to turn it out. if this happens, either briefly return the pie tin to the oven to loosed the caramel, or dip it in a boiling water bath)

dramatically turn the tart out onto your serving plate

serve immediately, plain or with a dollop of creme fraiche (but not ice-cream, i insist. it’s too sweet and you loose the toasty peach flavours)

any leftovers can be rewarmed in a pan to crisp up the bottom of the puff pastry