Gluten Free Blueberry & Fig Tarte Tatin Recipe

Blueberries and figs come together in this modern twist on a classic French dessert that's perfect for autumn!

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Oh, tarte tatin. That's not an exasperated oh. That's a full-blown swoon. This tarte tatin is a perfect segue from hot, sticky summer days into mild boots and scarves weather. It's the kind of dessert you want to nibble slices of with your feet in cozy socks and the leaves changing color outside and a nice glass of dessert wine. It's sultry and sexy, packed with soft, aphrodisiac figs that are purely succulent and seductive.

Tarte tatin has been on my list of foods to make for years but I always found a way to talk myself out of it:

• What if it's horrendous?  
• You don't have a cast iron skillet! 
• What if you burn it? 
• You're not the best at making caramel! 

It's funny how we always talk ourselves out of things before try them, isn't it? True, I don't have a cast iron skillet, but I didn't need one. I used my trusty small nonstick Tefal and wrapped the handle in foil. It coped just fine in the oven (as it often does).  It was seeing John Torrode set this task in the latest Celebrity Masterchef (UK) that pushed me to give it a go. He made his tart without any blueberries and with a few other changes that I didn't bother with and have since forgotten what they were! It's alright, though, I'm quite pleased with what resulted from my version!  The figs work really well with the blueberries. It's the perfect balance of sweet and tart and the lovely caramel ties everything together nicely. The whole recipe went down without a hitch and is proof that I psyched myself out for nothing.  

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Ingredients:

For the tarte tatin
2 cardamom pods
4 figs, quartered & refrigerated
6 tbsp unsalted butter
6 tbsp sugar
handful of blueberries
gluten free puff pastry

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Instructions:

Blueberry & Fig Tarte Tatin

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F.
2. Turn the pan over onto an unrolled sheet of puff pastry and cut out a circle large than the size of the pan. Set the pastry aside.
3. Put the sugar and butter in the pan. 
4. Place the pan over a medium to high heat.
5. Add the whole cardamom pods an allow to caramelize.
6. Turn on the ventilator and have someone on standby to turn off the smoke detector because you want a deep caramel! You want to pus the caramel just to the point of burning. You want smoke coming out of the pan before you remove it from the heat. If your smoke detector is sensitive (like mine) you'll want to be prepared to stop it whining! Also, this stage comes on so quickly, I'd advise you give the tarte tatin your utmost attention. A smoking pan of caramel can swiftly become a smoldering pan of char. 
7.  Once it's smoking, remove it from the heat and allow to cool about a minute.
8. Add the figs, flesh side down in any pattern you'd like. It's okay if they overlap.
9. Tumble in the blueberries into any gaps left by the figs.
10. Blanket the cold figs with the pastry, tucking the excess down in between the crevices of the figs using the handle of a wooden spoon.
11. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the pastry is golden.
12. Remove from the oven and let cool about 5 minutes before turning the tarte tatin onto a plate or cutting board.
13. Serve with dollops of vanilla ice cream or pour over double/heavy cream.

Notes & tips:

• It will shrink slightly, so be sure to accommodate this if you're planning on serving it at a dinner party etc.
• Don't like figs? Not to worry! Try making it with apples or pears.
• Make sure your figs are cold when they go into the pan. You don't want to place the pastry on warm figs, it'll cook the underside of it.

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Want even more desserts? Check out the Anyonita Nibbles Recipe Index!