This savoury tarte Tatin combines caramelised pears and red onion with creamy blue cheese, toasted walnuts and a sweet, sharp figgy mustard glaze. It looks impressive, but ready-rolled puff pastry makes it very straightforward.

I created it after Tracklements sent me their Special Edition Wholegrain Figgy Mustard. The sticky figs and warming spices are particularly good with pears and blue cheese, and the mustard keeps the tart firmly on the savoury side.

Gifted product: the Tracklements Wholegrain Figgy Mustard used in this recipe was sent to me.

Ingredients

• 320g ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry
• 3 firm but ripe Conference pears
• 1 medium red onion, cut into thin wedges
• 25g butter
• 1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp Tracklements Wholegrain Figgy Mustard
• 5–6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 100g creamy blue cheese, such as Cote Hill Blue, Stilton or Gorgonzola dolce
• 35g walnuts, roughly chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper
• A handful of rocket, to serve, if you like

You will also need

A roughly 23cm ovenproof frying pan. If your frying pan cannot go into the oven, prepare the filling in it and transfer everything to a 23cm cake tin before adding the pastry.

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan.
2. Unroll the pastry and cut out a circle slightly larger than your pan. Return it to the fridge while you prepare the filling.
3. Peel the pears, cut them into quarters and remove the cores. Cut each quarter in half lengthways to give you eight wedges from each pear.
4. Melt the butter in the ovenproof pan over a medium-low heat. Add the red onion and cook for about 7 minutes, until it begins to soften.
5. Add the pear wedges and cook for another 4–5 minutes, carefully turning them once. They should take on a little colour but remain firm.
6. Sprinkle over the brown sugar, then add the cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of the Figgy Mustard, the leaves from 3 thyme sprigs and plenty of black pepper. Gently turn the pears through the glaze and cook for 1 minute.
7. Remove the pan from the heat. Arrange the pears neatly in a circular pattern, remembering that the bottom will become the top. Tuck the onion into the spaces between them.
8. Dot the remaining tablespoon of mustard around the pears. Lay the cold pastry over the filling and tuck the edges down inside the pan. Prick the pastry several times with a fork.
9. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden and crisp.
10. Leave the tart to stand for 5 minutes only. Place a large serving plate over the pan and, wearing oven gloves, carefully turn it out. Be aware that the caramel will still be very hot.
11. While the tart is warm, crumble over the blue cheese so that it softens slightly. Finish with the walnuts and the remaining thyme leaves.

Serve warm with lightly dressed rocket. It makes a lovely lunch, starter or autumn supper.