"Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage."
C. S. Lewis

Pear Tart



01 January 2012

This Christmas I made a recipe that I have made with success for over 25 years. This Pear Tart is based on a Pear Clafoutis - a traditional French dessert. This recipe is both delicious and has a beautiful presentation without too much effort.

Sweet Tart Dough

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
1/4 teaspoon salt 1 large egg yolk
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon very cold
or frozen butter, cut in small pieces

Put the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in - you should have some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas Stir in the yolk, just to break it up and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in - process in long pulses - about 10 seconds each until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.

To press the dough into the pan: Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and up the sides of the pan, using all but one little piece of dough, which you should save in the refrigerator to patch any cracks after the crust is baked. Don't be too heavy- handed, press the crust in so that the edges of the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking. (Baking From My Home To Yours, Dorie Greenspan)



Filling

1 cup plus 3 Tablespoons, sugar 6 Tablespoons flour
3 eggs 1 1/2 sticks butter
2 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and
quartered lengthwise
( I use canned pears)

Combine sugar, flour and eggs in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Melt butter in medium skillet over high heat until foamy and brown. Slowly add melted butter to sugar mixture. Set aside.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut pears crosswise into slices 1/8" thick. Gently open slice up into fan shape. Arrange pears in crust in flower petal pattern.


Pour melted butter mixture over pears.

Bake until crust and filling are brown - about one hour. Serve warm or at room temperature. Just before serving, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. (Gerri Gilliland, Caterer)






1 comment: