Red wine-poached pear tarte tatin recipe | Sainsbury`s Magazine (2024)

Pears take on such a beautiful colour when cooked in red wine. Combined with seasonal mulling spices of cinnamon and vanilla, they give a special festive touch to this bistro classic

Debbie Major

Cook, writer and food stylist, Debbie's reputation for foolproof, delicious recipes is second to none. She is renowned for her dedication to seasonal home cooking and her love of all things rustic and authentic. Simplicity over cheffy is her motto!

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Ingredients

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1. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and put both the seeds and pod into a large deep saucepan with the red wine, sugar, cinnamon and bay leaves. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Meanwhile, peel the pears, slice in half lengthways and remove the cores – a melon baller works well. Add the pears to the wine syrup, bring back to the boil; lower the heat. Cover the pears with a sheet of scrunched up baking paper to help keep them below the surface. Simmer gently until tender (about 20 minutes), turning now and then so that they cook evenly.
3. Lift into a shallow dish using a draining spoon and leave to cool. Strain the liquid, return it to the pan and boil until it has reduced to 300ml and become syrupy. Watch it closely towards the end so that it doesn’t reduce too much and become bitter or burn. Whisk in the butter in chunks and a pinch of salt and set aside off the heat.
4. Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7.You’ll need a reliably nonstick ovenproof frying pan (about 22cm across the base, 26cm across the top). Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a square that’s about 5cm larger than the pan’s top measurement, then trim to a disc. Chill the pastry for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, butter the inside of the frying pan, pour in 100ml of the syrup (warm first if it’s thickened up too much), and tilt backwards and forwards until the base is coated in an even layer. Tightly pack in the pears, cut-side upwards, (they will shrink a little more during cooking so need to fit quite snugly). Reserve the remaining syrup to drizzle over the tart to serve.
5. Lift the pastry on top of the pears and tuck in the edges. Prick the top of the pastry a few times with the tip of a small, sharp knife, transfer to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is puffed, crisp and richly golden.
6. Remove the tart from the oven and leave it to rest for 5 minutes (take care, and remember, the handle will be hot). Run a knife around the edge of the tart and invert onto a round, flat serving plate. Gently warm the remaining syrup and drizzle a little over the top of the tart. Serve warm, cut into slices, with extra-thick double cream or vanilla ice cream and extra syrup if you like.