Pear Tarte Tatin

Are you bored with Christmas food yet? Have you got some pears left going soft in the fruit bowl? And a sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry in the freezer? What about a quick and easy pear tart to brighten up this miserable, wet, windy day?

You will need a small (18cm) frying pan that is oven safe - if you aren't 100% certain your pan handle won't scorch, wrap it in foil before you put it in the oven - and as well as the puff pastry and a couple of pears, about 30g of butter and a couple of tablespoonfuls of brown sugar, golden syrup. maple syrup - whatever you have to hand. In my case, I used Sweet Freedom syrup to make the dish less of a diabetic nightmare.

Heat the oven to 200 C (180 fan) - that's 375 F or gas mark 5. Cut the pastry into a circle, using the top of your pan as a template.  Peel and core the pears and cut them into wedges.  Heat the butter and sugar/syrup in the pan on the hob until bubbling and starting to caramelise, then remove from the heat, arrange the pears in the pan and place the pastry over the top making sure the caramel is all covered.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is well risen and golden. Leave to cool in the pan for around 5 minutes then invert onto a serving plate. Best eaten warm but not piping hot.