Plum Tarte Tatin with Port Caramel
Sweet but not sickly.
Pastry but not starch heavy.
Fruit but not really one of my five a day and with undertones of port in the caramel sauce, it has a little feel of being a grown-up pudding!
What’s not to love?
Exactly!
Why should you make this dessert?
Definitely the taste, and if I’m honest, it’s always great to see people’s faces when I say what I making.
The assumption is that it takes forever to make, and I guess it would if I made my own pastry, but shhhh – tell no one that I use pre-made puff pastry!
Actually, tell as many people as you want, I use this pastry all of the time, and its really great to keep available.
I added a tablespoon of port to the caramel this time, but you can leave it out or, try a little bit of sweet wine instead.
You’ll need a shallow oven proof pan to bake the tart in, so when I say that 8-10 plums are the right amount, that all depends on the size of the pan.
Go on, give it a go and enjoy your sweet life!
I like mine served with lashings of real vanilla custard.
What You Need
1 Pack of ready rolled puff pastry
8-10 Ripe Plums – depending on the size of the pan used
1 Tsp Vanilla
50g Butter – Cut into small cubes – See Tip Box
170g Sugar
70ml Water
1 Tbsp Port – See Tip Box
Ripe plums, cut in half and seeds removed
How It’s Done
Preheat the oven to 180c
Cut the plums in half and remove the stones
Set aside until needed.
Place the sugar and water into the pan and on a medium heat, bring it to the boil.
Let the sugar and water boil gently until it turns a light golden colour – approx.: 7 minutes – See Tip Box
Once it turns a light golden brown, take it off the heat and add the port and the cubes butter. Stir to mix it all together – See Tip Box
Very carefully, arrange the half plums in the hot caramel, cut side down – See Tip Box
Place the pastry on top of the plums, and cut it to the shape of the pan.
Very carefully, tuck the edges of the pastry down around the plums
Use a sharp knife to cut a cross through the pastry in the centre.
Place the pan into the hot oven and bake for around 35-45 minutes until the pastry is risen and golden brown – See Tip Box
Once cooked, let it sit in the pan for around 7-10 minutes to cool down and set up a little
When ready, place a serving plate on top of the pan and very carefully, tip it upside down so that the pastry is on the plate.
Serve hot or cold with custard or ice cream.
Cut side down in the hot caramel
Tip Box
Butter – I use salted butter, but if you don’t, add a small pinch of salt to the caramel
Port – Port adds a great extra flavour to the caramel sauce, it elevates it without being overwhelming.
Make the caramel – 1) The caramel will take around 7 minutes to become light golden in colour. A couple of minutes before it starts to change colour, don’t take your eyes off it. It will change from gold to burnt very quickly.
2) When adding the port and the butter, be very careful, the mixture will spit and its very, very hot.
Baking – Each oven is different so adjust the cooking time accordingly
The stages of the caramel
Thick with port caramel and ready to eat
