Caramelized Fig Tarte Tatin

Fig Tarte Tatin

Indulge in this elegant early fall dessert, featuring tender figs caramelized in a cinnamon-spiced sauce and baked with flaky puff pastry.

Recipe by David Leite

• 1 sheet store-bought or homemade puff pastry, thawed if frozen. Choose a good quality all-butter puff pastry for the best flavor and flakiness.
• 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, thinly sliced. This butter will melt to create the initial rich base for the caramel.
• 1/3 cup dark muscovado (brown) sugar. Muscovado sugar provides a deeper, more complex caramel flavor than regular brown sugar.
• 6-12 oz (approx. 340g) black figs, cut in half. Look for ripe, plump figs that are firm but yield slightly to pressure.
• One long cinnamon stick. This infuses the caramel with a subtle, warming spice that complements the figs beautifully.
• Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon, preferably organic (about 1 tablespoon). The lemon zest brightens the entire dessert, cutting through the richness of the caramel.
• 1 large egg, preferably free-range, lightly beaten. This is for brushing the pastry, giving it a beautiful golden sheen.
• Store-bought or homemade cinnamon gelato, to serve (optional, but highly recommended). The cool, creamy gelato contrasts wonderfully with the warm tart.

1. Prepare the Oven and Pastry: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). On a sheet of baking paper, carefully roll out the puff pastry into a rough circle. Aim for a diameter of approximately 11-inches (28-cm) and a thickness of 1/8-inch (3-mm). If your pastry sheet is already rectangular, simply shape it as best you can to fit your pan. Prick the entire surface of the pastry multiple times with a fork to prevent it from puffing up too much, then transfer it to the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes. This chilling step helps the pastry retain its shape and flakiness during baking.

2. Arrange the Fruit: In a shallow, oven-safe nonstick or cast iron skillet (ideally 10-inch or 25-cm in diameter), lay the thin slices of cold butter evenly across the bottom. Sprinkle the dark muscovado sugar over the butter. Next, meticulously arrange the halved figs on top of the sugar and butter layer, ensuring they are cut-side down. Gently press them down a little so they fit snugly in the pan, forming an attractive pattern. Tuck the cinnamon stick among the figs, allowing its aroma to infuse the caramel, and finally, sprinkle the finely grated lemon zest generously over all the figs. This layering creates a beautiful foundation for your inverted tart.

3. Caramelize the Figs: Place the skillet directly into your preheated oven. Cook until the sugar has completely melted and transformed into a deep, rich caramel color. You’ll also notice the juices just beginning to ooze from the figs, a sign that they are starting to soften. This process usually takes between 5 to 9 minutes, but keep a close eye on it, as caramel can burn quickly. Once achieved, carefully remove the skillet from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes. This brief cooling period helps the caramel set slightly and prevents the pastry from becoming soggy.

4. Top with Pastry and Bake: Gently place the chilled puff pastry circle directly on top of the figs in the skillet. Carefully tuck the edges of the pastry down between the sides of the skillet and the figs, forming a neat border that will become the crust once flipped. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the top surface of the pastry with the lightly beaten egg. Return the skillet to the oven and continue to bake until the puff pastry is wonderfully crisp, puffed, and a deep golden brown. This usually takes an additional 15 to 30 minutes, depending on your oven. The pastry should look irresistible.

5. Invert and Serve: Once baked, remove the skillet from the oven and let everything cool for another 5 minutes. This cooling time is crucial as it allows the caramel to firm up slightly, making the tart easier to release. Now for the grand reveal: carefully hold a plate or cake stand firmly against the top of the skillet and, with a quick, confident motion, carefully flip the tart out onto the plate. If, by chance, a fig or two remains stuck to the bottom of the skillet in the sticky caramel, don’t worry! Simply use a small spatula to gently scrape them off and artfully nudge them back into place on the tart. Serve your spectacular Fig Tarte Tatin warm, perhaps with a scoop of cinnamon gelato for an extra layer of indulgence.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation only.

Helena Pereira

Helena raves about the delectable nature of this fig tarte Tatin, emphasizing its ease of preparation—a hallmark of any good tarte Tatin. She highlights how the choice of fruit truly defines the final dish, and in this case, the caramelized figs are an absolute triumph, especially when figs are at their peak flavor. The subtle addition of cinnamon, she notes, imparts a rich, warm, and wonderfully complex flavor profile that elevates the entire dessert. Her recommendation to serve it with ice cream underscores the perfect balance it strikes between warm fruit and cool creaminess, making it an ideal autumn treat.

Joel Jenkins

Joel, testing from Napa during a reportedly extended fig season, used about a pound (half-pint container) of organic figs, totaling nine pieces due to varying sizes. He utilized one sheet of store-bought puff pastry, rolling it out to fit his 11-inch pan. Joel carefully monitored the caramelization process, melting the butter over medium heat before adding the figs. He observed the sugar starting to caramelize around the 5-minute mark, wisely reducing the heat to medium-low to prevent burning. By 8 minutes, the figs were considerably softened. He found his pan made it easy to form the pastry and tuck the edges, realizing this creates the essential “crust” for flipping. The tart generously served five people, with one piece left over, humorously noting his loss in the race for the morning-after slice. His experience highlights the importance of attentiveness during caramelization and the structural role of the pastry edges.

Jessica Roble-Cinelli

Jessica found this fig tarte Tatin absolutely lovely and commendably easy to assemble, making it a delightful finale for a small dinner party. Her only minor caveat was the inherent stickiness of the caramel, which might require a bit of awkward picking to clear from teeth—perhaps a dessert best shared with very close friends! Opting against shaping her puff pastry into a perfect circle, she rolled it to 12-by-10-inches. Her reasoning was sound: she worried that cutting off rounded corners and trying to re-roll the scraps into the dough might compromise the delicate flaky layers of the pastry. While this made placing the dough over the caramelized figs a tad awkward, it’s a valid consideration for preserving pastry texture. Her review offers practical advice for those prioritizing flakiness over perfectly round aesthetics.

Hillary Hawkins

Hillary declared this fig tarte Tatin a clear winner! She appreciated that it appears fancy enough for an elegant dinner party yet is remarkably straightforward to prepare, echoing the sentiments of other testers regarding its ease. A key point she noted was that the tart is not overly sweet, striking a pleasant balance that allows the natural sweetness of the figs and the warmth of the caramel to shine without being cloying. Like others, she encountered a few figs that didn’t immediately detach during the flip, but quickly discovered that gently placing them back onto the tart was a simple and effective remedy. Her feedback reinforces the dessert’s impressive presentation and approachable preparation.