Seasonal Recipe

Victoria Plum & Vanilla Tarte Tatin

Our twist on the classic French upside-down tart – with British Victoria plums standing in for the usual apples or pears, and real vanilla in the caramel to bring out their honeyed sweetness. It looks spectacular, tastes even better, and is far easier than it has any right to be.

Victoria plum and vanilla tarte Tatin, golden and caramelised, fresh from the oven

Serves

6

Prep

20 mins

Cook

35 mins

Ingredients

Everything here except the sugar, salt and pastry is on our shelves at 12 West Street or in the online shop – the plums arrived this very week.

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / gas 6. You'll need an ovenproof frying pan or tarte Tatin dish about 20–23cm across.
  2. Put the sugar in the pan over a medium heat and let it melt to a deep amber caramel – don't stir, just swirl the pan now and then.
  3. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the butter, the vanilla seeds, the scraped pod and the pinch of salt. It will bubble and look glossy – that's exactly right.
  4. Arrange the plum halves snugly in the caramel, cut-side up, rounded side down. Pack them in tightly – they shrink as they cook. Fish the vanilla pod out and tuck it down the side, or remove it if you'd rather.
  5. Return to a medium heat for 5 minutes so the plums start to soften and release their juices.
  6. Lay the puff pastry over the top and trim to a circle a little bigger than the pan. Tuck the edges down inside, around the fruit, like tucking in a blanket. Cut a couple of small slits in the top.
  7. Bake for 30–35 minutes until the pastry is puffed, deep golden and crisp.
  8. Rest for 5 minutes – no longer, or the caramel sets and sticks. Put a plate over the pan and, with oven gloves and a bit of courage, flip the whole thing over in one confident motion. Lift the pan away to reveal glistening, caramelised plums.
  9. Serve warm, with a generous spoonful of clotted cream melting over the top – or a scoop of Just Jersey ice cream.

Cook's Notes

  • Choose plums that are ripe but still firm – very soft ones collapse into the caramel. Perfectly ripe Victorias hold their shape and turn jammy at the edges.
  • If your caramel seizes when the butter goes in, put it back over a low heat and stir gently – it will come back together.
  • The flip is the only nervy bit. Be decisive, keep the plate pressed firmly against the pan, and go in one smooth motion over the sink if you're worried about drips.
  • Any stray plums left in the pan? Cook's perks. Ease them out and put them back on top.

A Word About the Vanilla

The vanilla here isn't a garnish – it's what turns a good plum tart into something special, so it's worth using the real thing. We stock Littlepod Indonesian vanilla pods – from the Devon company championing real, sustainably sourced vanilla over the synthetic stuff. The pods are plump and glossy, packed with fragrant seeds, and genuinely potent: one pod is enough to perfume the whole caramel, seeds and all.

And don't throw the pod away afterwards – rinse it, let it dry, and bury it in a jar of sugar. In a week you'll have vanilla sugar for your next bake. One pod, two jobs.

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