AliLarter.com

June 9, 2014

Salted Caramel plum tarte tatin

1 TARTE

This is an ooey-gooey tarte tatin. Traditionally it’s made with apples, but I think plums with caramel is quite special. This recipe was by far the most delicious and difficult one to develop. The obstacle being the vary­ing ripeness of the fruit—the juice content of the plums gave off too much liquid. We tried tapioca starch, sweating the plums, and precooking the plums, but decided that the best way is to remove a bit of juice at the end and to use firm plums. People swoon over this dessert.

1 cup sugar
¼ cup ruby Port or Banyuls
2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter,
¼ teaspoon flaked salt
2 pounds firm plums, halved
1 frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed

 

Position the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F.

Combine the sugar and Port in a heavy small saucepan. Stir overmedium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high and boil without stirring until the syrup is a deep amber color, occasionally swirling the saucepan, about 6 minutes. Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, then the salt, whisking to incorporate. Carefully pour the caramel into a 10-inch-diameter cast iron skillet and quickly spread evenly with a spatula (use extreme caution as the caramel is as hot as molten lava). Caramel will harden immediately.

Arrange the plums, cut side down, closely together in concentric circles atop the caramel in the skillet (the plums will shrink as they cook).

Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut into a 12-inch round. Place the puff pastry round atop the plums in the skillet. Tuck the pastry edges down between the plums and the sides of the skillet, covering the plums completely. Using a fork, pierce the pastry in several places to allow steam to escape while baking. Place in the oven and bake the tarte tatin until the pastry is golden brown and cooked through and the plum juices are bubbling around the sides of the skillet, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven. Using an oven mitt gently tilt the skillet. With a turkey baster, remove excess juices from the tarte tatin (from a few tablespoons possibly up to ½ cup). Allow the tarte to cool in the skillet while the juices set, at least 30 minutes.

When ready to serve, reheat tarte on medium-high heat for one minute to loosen tarte.

Place a rimmed platter atop the skillet. Using oven mitts, hold the skillet and the platter firmly together and turn the skillet over, allowing the tarte tatin to settle onto the platter. Cut into wedges and serve.