Eh Canada! Pear & Maple tarte tatin with Praline Pecans & my conclusions on the Pacific Northwest

O.K I have no intention of re-inventing the wheel here, classic tarte tatin is beautiful, perfect. This is simply cheeky twist on the theme, get it? French Canadian?

I had something similar at a restaurant in Whistler on Christmas eve, it was full of promise but failed to deliver. I can’t understand for the life of me why though, tarte tatin is such a simple desert for even the most unskilled of home cooks to prepare when given the time & attention it needs.

Pear & Maple tarte tatin with Praline Pecans

Ingredients:

• 1 Beurre Bosc pear
• 1/2 a cup of the best quality Canadian maple syrup one can acquire without resorting to the black market
• 1/2 a cup of halved raw pecans
• 1 sheet of all butter, premium quality puff pastry
• 1 tsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp thickened cream

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180c/355f
2. Cut your pear in half & scoop out the core with a teaspoon or a Mellon ball. Try to make the hole quite shallow & then cut about 1cm off the back (round side) off the pear to make a flat surface & help it cook more evenly.
3. In a small saucepan heat half the maple syrup over low heat & cook the pears face down for about 8 minutes
4. While the pears are cooking chop half the pecans quite finely & sprinkle evenly over a sheet of pre rolled puff pastry & gently press them into the dough either using your hands or a rolling pin. (This is a great tip from Jamie Oliver to make nut studded pastry)
5. Remove the pears from the heat & place caramelized side up on the pastry, cut around the pear with about 2cm extra to wrap the bottom of the pear in the pastry.
6. Brush with a little extra maple syrup & transfer to a baking tray caramelized side down.
7. Bake for 40 minutes or until the pastry is browned & flaky
8. Meanwhile add the remaining maple syrup (saving a tablespoon or so for presentation) and whole pecans to the saucepan over low heat
9. Add the butter & cream & continue cooking over low heat until praline thickens
10. Remove pears from the oven & serve with ice cream, praline pecans & drizzled with extra maple syrup (and serve to your salivating boyfriend for breakast)

There is some kind of unspoken affinity with Australians & Canadians, I have felt it my whole life before I even really knew where Canada was on a map. Perhaps it something to do with the rest of the world kind of taking us for lovable oafs (and the fact we don’t  really care what the world thinks of us anyway), perhaps it’s just our shared love of a beer, a laugh & our genuine zest for life.

I knew for me Canada was going to be life-changing but in the end for different reasons than I believed.

Yes the people were fantastic, yes the scenery was pristine, amazing. The thing that has left me changed for life though is my expectations for customer service.  I am loathe to say anything unpatriotic about Australia because I love my country & the freedom it affords me, however after experiencing first hand the level of care & experience for customer service in Canada I fear eating out at home is never going to quite satisfy me again. It was faultless, seamless, inspiring how we were always greeted with the most sincere of smiles. We were checked on by the managers & often also the chefs, doted over by all the staff. We felt like royalty & the food was fit for kings (for the most part)

I was deeply inspired by the quality of the produce in Canada. I visited the farmers market on Granville Island & could have easily pitched a tent & lived amongst the fruit & veggies for the rest of my life. You can’t imagine how sad it was for me not cooking for a month with such wonderful produce available.

Canada around the holidays looks like a Christmas card, I even saw a real holly tree with berries & stuff! I was just so impressed with Canada I cant wait to go back one day & stay a little longer.

Canada you have won my heart.