preheat the oven to 200° Celsius

roll the pastry out so that it is slightly larger than your dish

put the sugar into the tatin dish and place over a medium heat

allow the sugar to dissolve and stir once

let the sugar turn a golden caramel colour – do not take your eyes off it!

remove the dish from the heat and add the butter

gradually stir in the cream until thoroughly mixed

allow to cool for 10 minutes

slice the pears into eighths and blanche

place the pears in the caramel, packing them tightly together

immediately cover with the pastry

tuck the pastry loosely around the pears so that it forms a good base for the tart

make a few vent holes and then bake for 20 minutes

allow to cool for 10 minutes before loosening around the edges

invert onto a large serving plate

serve with whipped cream