Quick Pear Tart By Jacques Pepin Recipes

PEAR TATIN

Steps:

• For the caramel: Place the sugar and 3 tablespoons water in a heavy 10-inch skillet. Cook over medium-to-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture turns a light caramel color. Remove from the heat and swirl the caramel in the skillet to cool and harden it. (If the caramel darkens too much as it continues to cook in the pan's residual heat, place the base of the skillet in cool water to stop the cooking.)
• For the pears: Peel the pears, cut them in half lengthwise and core them. Arrange the pear halves, cut side up, on the caramel so that the pointed ends of the pears meet in the center. Add the butter and 2/3 cup water. Bring to a boil (the caramel will melt). Cover the skillet with a lid, reduce the heat to low and cook gently for about 20 minutes, checking occasionally, until all the water has evaporated and the mixture in the pan has caramelized again. (By then, the pears should be partly cooked.)
• While the pears are cooking, make the dough: place the flour, butter and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Process for about 10 seconds. Add the milk and process for another 10 seconds. Transfer the unformed dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press on it until it forms a cohesive ball. Place another piece of plastic wrap on top of the dough and roll it with a rolling pin between the two plastic sheets to create a circle about the diameter of your skillet. Refrigerate the dough (still encased in plastic) to firm it slightly.
• After the pears have cooked for 20 minutes fill their hollow centers with the almonds and raisins. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, peel off the top sheet of plastic wrap and invert the dough on top of the pears. Peel off the remaining plastic sheet. Place the skillet in a preheated 400-degree oven for about 30 minutes. (By then, the dough should be nicely browned on top, and when you tilt the pan, there should be a rich layer of caramel in the bottom.) Set the skillet aside until serving time.
• If the pear Tatin has cooled beyond lukewarm at serving time, rewarm it on top of the stove until the caramel is soft again (the whole mixture will move in the pan when you shake it). Not more than 30 minutes before serving, invert a serving plate on top of the dough and turn the warm tart out onto the plate. Slice into portions, serving half a pear per person.

QUICK PEAR TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon together. Lay puff pastry sheet on a work surface brush with melted butter and sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar. Cut into 6 even pieces. Fan the pear slices over the puff pastry, using 1/2 a pear for each puff pastry square. Sprinkle tops of pear tarts with remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake until pastry is golden and cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove from tart from oven, sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese melts, 5 minutes more.

QUICK PEAR TART BY JACQUES PEPIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit. Put about 1Tbsp. butter on a sheet pan (I lined the sheet pan with nonstick aluminum foil first-worked great!). Put pan in preheated oven and melt butter. Thinly slice a pear that you've cored. Take pan with melted butter out of oven, put tortilla on butter, then flip over so bottom is greased. Put sliced pear on the tortilla, dot about a teaspoon butter on pear in little bits, sprinkle a little sugar on pear. Bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes, until the pear is cooked through and the tortilla is lightly browned around the edges. Remove from oven, cut into wedges and enjoy while still warm.

JACQUES PEPIN'S BRAISED PEARS IN CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Peel pears and cut in half lengthwise. Remove cores. Place pear halves flat side down in single layer in 1 or 2 large baking or gratin dishes. Sprinkle sugar over pears and dot with butter.
• Place in oven and bake 35 minutes. By this time sugar should have caramelized and pears should be tender when pierced with point of knife. If pears are not tender continue cooking 5 to 10 minutes. Pour cream over pears and return to oven. Bake 10 to 15 minutes more, basting every 5 minutes with cream.
• Cream should have reduced and thickened and turned nice ivory color. If sauce seems to be separating, add a tablespoon or two of hot water.
• Remove pears from oven, allow to cool slightly. Serve directly from baking dish.

APPLE CLAFOUTIS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 10- or 10 1/2-inch ceramic tart pan, baking dish or clafoutis dish.
• Peel, core and slice the apples into 16ths. Toss with the lemon juice in a large bowl.
• Heat the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until they begin to look translucent, about four minutes. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir together until the apples have softened slightly and begun to caramelize, six to eight minutes. Remove from the heat, and transfer to the baking dish.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the seeds from the vanilla bean or the vanilla extract. Add the sugar and salt, and whisk together. Slowly beat in the flour, then add the yogurt and milk. Whisk until thoroughly blended. Pour over the apples in the baking dish.
• Place in the oven, and bake 35 to 40 minutes until the top is browned and the clafoutis is firm and puffed. Check by pressing lightly on the middle. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack, or serve warm.