Tarte Tatin is a classic French pastry, an upside-down apple tart where the apples are cooked on the stove top in caramelized sugar and then topped with puff pastry dough and baked. There are lots of variations on the tarte. I like to make a summer version with peaches in a bourbon-spiked caramel. But for the fall, I decided to play with my favorite seasonal fruit—figs, which pair wonderfully with honey, for a sweet new year.

Fig Tarte Tatin With Honey

Makes one 10-inch tarte Tatin.

Ingredients

  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
  • 10 ounces fresh figs, sliced ½” thick
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter or margarine
  • ½ cup honey
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Crushed pistachios, for garnish
  • Edible rose petals, for garnish

Directions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.
  2. On a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, cut an 11-inch circle from the dough (or 1 inch larger than your skillet) and pierce it a few times with the tines of a fork. Place the dough on a sheet tray and put it into the refrigerator to chill until ready to bake.
  3. In a 10-inch skillet set over medium heat, add the butter and cook until melted.
  4. Add in the honey and salt and stir with a whisk until the mixture is bubbly and begins to thicken, 2 minutes.
  5. Remove from the fire and stir in the vanilla. Let the mixture settle.
  6. Add the fig slices in concentric circles, taking care to fill in any gaps, until the entire base of the skillet is covered.
  7. Top the figs with the chilled puff pastry, tucking in the sides with a knife and transfer the pan to the oven.
  8. Bake for about 35 minutes, until the puff pastry is deeply golden and the juices around it are bubbling.
  9. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.
  10. Cover the skillet with a round plate larger than the skillet. Carefully invert the skillet so that the tarte Tatin is fig side up on the platter.
  11. Top with pistachios and rose petals and serve warm.

If you make this recipe, post a picture on Instagram and tag @busyinbrooklyn and @jewishboston! We’d love to see what you’re cooking up.