Peach Tarte Tatin
Peach Tarte Tatin
Fresh peaches, deep buttery caramel and homemade rough puff pastry come together in this peach twist on the classic French Tarte Tatin.
Served warm with vanilla ice cream and a final crack of black pepper, it is simple, dramatic and made for peach season.
Watch my video to follow along step-by-step.
Gary’s Peach Tarte Tartin
Serves: 6–8
Pan: 10-inch oven-safe skillet
Oven: 400°F (200°C)
Ingredients
Homemade Rough Puff
1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
½ tsp (3 g) fine sea salt
10 tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter, very cold, cut into ½-inch cubes
⅓–½ cup (80–120 ml) ice-cold water, as needed
All-purpose flour, for rollin
Peach Filling
6 medium firm-ripe freestone peaches
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
5 tbsp (70 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp fine sea salt
To Serve
Vanilla ice cream
Freshly cracked black pepper
Method
Make the Rough Puff
Combine the dry ingredients.
Whisk together the flour and sea salt in a large bowl.Add the butter.
Toss the cold butter cubes through the flour until thoroughly coated. Using your fingertips, flatten the butter into rough shards. Do not work it completely into the flour; visible pieces of butter are what will create the flaky layers.Add the water.
Pour in ⅓ cup (80 ml) of the ice-cold water and toss the mixture together. Add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time, only until the dough holds together when squeezed. It should still look rough and shaggy.Form the dough.
Turn the mixture onto a lightly floured work surface and use your hands and a bench scraper to press it into a rough rectangle. Do not knead it.Make the first two turns.
Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 6 × 15 inches. Brush away excess flour. Fold the bottom third upward, then fold the top third down over it like a business letter.Rotate the dough 90 degrees, roll it out again and repeat the letter fold.
Chill.
Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 20–30 minutes.Make two more turns.
Repeat the rolling and folding process twice more, rotating the dough 90 degrees before each roll. You will have completed four turns in total.Rest.
Wrap the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.Roll the pastry.
Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Cut an 11-inch circle and refrigerate it while you prepare the peaches.
Prepare the Peaches
Peel the peaches.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and prepare a bowl of ice water.Cut a shallow “X” in the bottom of each peach. Lower the peaches into the boiling water for 20–30 seconds, then immediately transfer them to the ice water.
Once cool enough to handle, slip off and discard the skins.
Quarter the peaches.
Halve the peaches, remove the stones and cut each half in two to make four substantial wedges from each peach.
Make the Tarte Tatin
Heat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).Make the caramel.
Spread the sugar evenly over the bottom of a 10-inch oven-safe skillet.Cook over medium heat without stirring until the sugar begins to melt. Gently swirl the skillet as necessary to encourage even caramelisation.
Continue cooking until the sugar reaches a deep amber colour.
Add the butter.
Reduce the heat and carefully add the butter a few pieces at a time. The caramel will bubble vigorously.Stir or swirl until the butter is incorporated, then add the lemon juice and sea salt.
Arrange the peaches.
Pack the peach quarters tightly into the caramel. Arrange them attractively, remembering that the side touching the skillet will become the top of the finished tart.Cook the peaches.
Cook over medium-low heat for about 8–12 minutes.The peaches will release juice and initially thin the caramel. Continue cooking until much of that excess moisture has evaporated and the liquid has returned to a glossy, syrupy consistency.
The peaches should soften but remain intact.
Cover with the pastry.
Remove the skillet from the heat.Lay the chilled rough-puff round over the peaches and tuck the edges down just inside the skillet around the fruit.
Prick the pastry lightly several times with a fork or the tip of a knife.
Bake.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden, crisp and well puffed.Rest.
Remove the skillet from the oven and allow the tart to stand for about 5 minutes.Do not leave it too long or the cooling caramel may begin to stick to the skillet.
Invert the tart.
Place a serving plate larger than the skillet firmly over the top.Using oven mitts and holding the plate and skillet securely together, invert them in one confident movement.
Leave the skillet in place for several seconds before carefully lifting it away. If a peach sticks to the skillet, simply return it to its place on the tart.
Serve.
Serve the Tarte Tatin warm with vanilla ice cream.Finish with a restrained amount of freshly cracked black pepper just before serving.
Larder Notes
The cooking time for the peaches is a guide rather than an absolute. Different peaches release different amounts of juice. What matters is the visual cue: the thin peach juices should have cooked back down into a glossy caramel before the pastry goes on.
The black pepper belongs at the very end. It should not make the tart taste peppery; it adds a subtle aromatic bite that works remarkably well with warm caramelized peaches and cold vanilla ice cream.
© 2026 Gary R. Rice. All rights reserved.
This work, including all original recipes, text, images, and related media, is the intellectual property of Gary R. Rice. No part of this content may be reproduced, published, distributed, or adapted in any form without prior written consent from the author.
Personal, non-commercial use is permitted with clear attribution. Commercial use, including publication, broadcast, or syndication, is strictly prohibited without express permission.
All rights to this content are retained personally by Gary R. Rice, regardless of any business or channel name under which the material is published.
