Fig tarte tatin

Method

1. Halve the figs lengthwise through the stem. Choose fruit that gives slightly to gentle pressure but still holds its shape, not soft or bursting.
2. Melt the butter in an ovenproof 24-26 cm skillet over medium heat. Add the honey and cook, swirling the pan often, until the mixture turns a deep amber and smells toasty, about 2-3 minutes. Honey darkens faster than sugar, so watch it closely and don’t step away.
3. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar. It will bubble and steam sharply for a moment, then settle into the caramel.
4. Arrange the fig halves cut-side down in the caramel, packing them tightly in a single snug layer (they’ll shrink slightly as they cook). Tuck the thyme sprigs down between the figs.
5. Return the pan to medium-low heat and cook just until the figs soften slightly and release a little juice into the caramel, 5-8 minutes. Figs cook much faster than apples or pears, so keep a close eye and pull the pan the moment the fruit yields to the point of a knife; overcooking here turns the figs to mush before the pastry is even on.
6. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Lay the cold, pricked puff pastry round over the figs and tuck the edges down between the fruit and the side of the pan, so the fruit is fully enclosed.
7. Bake until the pastry is deep golden brown, well puffed, and crisp, 22-27 minutes.
8. Let the tart rest in the pan 5-10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge to loosen it, set a plate with a lip over the pan, and invert in one confident motion. Lift the pan away carefully, it and the caramel underneath are still very hot.
9. Serve warm, spooning any caramel left in the pan back over the top, with mascarpone or crème fraîche alongside and a scattering of fresh thyme leaves.

Notes

• Best eaten the same day, ideally within an hour or two of baking. Figs release moisture as they sit, so the pastry base softens and the tart turns weepy on standing; it does not keep or reheat well.
• Figs cook far faster than the apples or pears used in a traditional tarte tatin. Once they go into the caramel, watch them closely and pull the pan as soon as they’ve softened and started releasing juice, 5-8 minutes is usually enough. Left longer, they collapse into a soft, seedy mush that won’t hold its shape when the tart is flipped.
• Choose figs that are ripe but still firm enough to hold a clean cut edge, a fully soft, bursting fig will fall apart in the caramel before the pastry even goes on. Black Mission or Brown Turkey figs both work well.
• Swirl the butter-honey caramel rather than stirring it, this keeps it cooking evenly and lets you judge the colour clearly.

Ingredient substitutions

• All-butter puff pastry is the traditional and preferred choice here: it browns more deeply, tastes richer, and its lamination shows more distinctly than pastry made with vegetable shortening. In Germany, refrigerated Blätterteig from the chilled section is usually all-butter already and makes a reliable default. In the US and Canada, most supermarket puff pastry, including common brands like Pepperidge Farm, is made with vegetable shortening rather than butter, so look for an all-butter brand such as Dufour if you want the closer flavour.
• Homemade rough puff pastry is a reasonable middle ground if you’d like to make your own without committing to full classic lamination, which offers little visible benefit here since the pastry ends up as a flat lid rather than a laminated showpiece.
• Whatever pastry you use, it must go on cold, straight from the fridge. Room-temperature or softened pastry won’t puff properly in the oven and is more likely to shrink or slide off the fruit as it bakes.

Sources consulted

• Jamie Oliver: The World Famous Tarte Tatin
• Stephanie’s Dish: Tarte Tatin