French Pear Tart Part 2 Recipes

FRENCH PEAR TART

Steps:

• Position one oven rack to middle, and move the second rack to the top slot.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar and salt. Add melted butter and combine to form dough.
• Transfer dough to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. With your hands press dough down to spread on bottom and onto the rims of the pan.
• Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 30 minutes, or until crust turns golden brown. When ready remove crust from oven and let sit to cool. Leave oven on.
• Meanwhile, heat the fig preserves in microwave for about 40 seconds. Pour heated fig preserves through a mesh strainer to separate chunks from liquid.
• Now, slice five pears into 1/2-inch slices, discarding core.
• Heat 1 tbsp of butter in a large cast iron skillet. Add pear slices and 1 tbsp water. Cover and cook on medium heat until pears are slightly tender; about 3 minutes.
• Remove pears onto a large platter and let sit to cool.
• Take the remaining three pears and cut them in the same manner.
• Now melt 2 tbsp of butter in previously used cast iron skillet. Add newly-sliced pears, chunks of fig reserves, and salt. Cook on medium heat, covered, for ten minutes; stir occasionally until pears are very tender.
• Take a potato masher and mash the pears and fig reserves into a puree. Let cook for another 5-7 minutes or until pureed mixture reduces and thickens.
• Transfer pear-fig puree onto the now cooled crust; spread evenly.
• Now, take the cooled pear slices and begin to assemble them in layered circles, starting at the outer edges (see photo).
• Place tart on the middle rack of the oven. Bake in 350 degree F-heated oven for 30 minutes.
• Warm up the strained liquid fig preserves for 20 seconds in the microwave.
• When tart is ready, remove from oven and brush surface of the pears evenly with the warmed fig liquid.
• Return to oven and place on the top rack. Broil very briefly; watching carefully until pears gain a nice caramelized look.
• Remove from oven and let cool for at least 1 1/2 hours before serving.
• When ready, place the bottom of the tart pan on a wide can of food. Hold the ring part of the pan and carefully slide it downwards (see photo).
• Cut pear fig tart into eight slices and serve. Enjoy!

PEAR TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 12-inch round. Fit dough into a 9-inch removable bottom tart pan lifting into and pressing up sides. Refrigerate while you prepare almond cream (frangipane).
• In a food processor, pulse almonds and sugar until finely ground. Add butter, egg, flour, salt, and extract and process until well combined.
• Spread 1/4 cup jam over bottom of tart shell. Spread almond filling over; chill 15 minutes. Arrange pear slices on top, fanning them out. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and almond cream is puffed and set. Transfer to a wire rack and cool in the pan. Remove from pan. Melt remaining jam and brush over tart. Cool before serving.

FRENCH PEAR TART - PART 2

Steps:

• Fill the baked crust with the almond cream, spreading it even with an offset metal icing spatula. Thinly slice each pear half crosswise, lift each half on a spatula, press down on the pear to fan it slightly and place it, wide-end toward the edge of the crust, over the almond cream. The halves will form spokes. Put the crust on the lined baking sheet, slide the sheet into the oven and bake the tart 50 to 60 minutes, or until the almond cream puffs up around the pears and browns. Transfer the tart to a rack to cool to just warm or to room temperature before unmolding. Right before serving, dust the tart with confectioners' sugar. If you prefer, prepare a glaze by bringing about 1/4 cup apple jelly and1/2 teaspoon water to the boil. Brush the glaze over the surface of the tart. To make the dough: Put the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in the workbowl of 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 cut in coarsely - you'll have pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pea-size pieces and that's just fine. Stir the egg, 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 your reaches this clumpy stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change - heads up. Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Very lightly and sparingly - make that very, very lightly and sparingly - knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing. If you want to press the dough into a tart pan, now is the time to do it.

FRENCH PEAR TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• FOR TART DOUGH:
• Combine butter + 1/4 cup sugar in med bowl, mix till well-blended & then mix in the flour.
• Beat together vanilla + 2 eggs, add to flour mixture, mix till dough forms & chill for 10 minutes.
• Grease & flour bottom of 9-in tart pan w/removable bottom. Roll chilled dough 1-in larger than pan.
• Place dough in pan & press dough to sides of tart pan (It needs to come to the rim of the pan). Bake for 10 minutes.
• FOR CUSTARD:.
• Combine yolks + 2 eggs, beat well & set aside.
• Combine milk, cream + sugar & place in top of dbl-boiler. Cook over simmering water till temp reaches 140°F.
• Remove from heat, add egg mixture (whisking constantly) & strain.
• FOR TART ASSEMBLY: Arrange pear slices in tart shell. Pour custard mixture over pears till shell is almost full. Bake 25 min or till custard is set. Remove from heat & allow to stand for 30 minutes.
• TO SERVE: Cook jam & wine in a sml saucepan to form glaze. Brush glaze over tart, cool completely & refrigerate till ready to serve.

PEAR TART WITH VANILLA CREME ANGLAISE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until light golden and fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely, then finely grind in a food processor. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add almonds, egg, cream, and extract; beat until well combined, about 2 minutes.
• Using a small offset spatula, spread filling in cooled tart shell. Arrange pear slices, overlapping them slightly, on top of filling. Generously sprinkle with sugar; place tart on a baking sheet. Bake until filling is slightly puffed and golden brown, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature with creme anglaise on the side.