Really, I
have to call it simply, “Pear Tart.”
Because
what it really is just doesn’t make for a good name;
wine-poached-pears-stuffed-with-almond-praline-atop-a-marzipan-yoghurt-custard-tart
just doesn’t flow
off your tongue, does it?
How did
this happen? This is what comes from having a day off (not planning to cook)
and deciding to clean out the fridge and cupboards.
Yoghurt.
How long has that been in there? When did Lisa and Charlie visit…? We got it
for them… It
still smells good…
Marzipan.
Bought it last Christmas to make cocoa-marzipan balls. That didn’t happen. Now
the tube of marzipan feels more like a billy club – so hard I could use it to
tenderize meat. While it is probably past its expiration date (I didn’t look, but assume because of its
hardness), I was confident that it wasn’t “bad” or dangerous to eat.
Well, it might be dangerous to your teeth….
Six tiny
pears from last week’s farmers market. I had to do something with them. Pears
don’t last forever, and these were beginning to get spots.
A jar of
much loved and coveted
almond praline made by
Joël Durand in
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, a birthday gift from my favorite
Modern Trobadors. I
wasn’t needing to clear this one out, but it
did give me an idea. This is how
my mind works:
Core the
pears (partially, leaving the stems intact). Poach them. Drain, cool, and stuff
them with almond praline. Brilliant. But, then what?
Ooh. A
tart. A custard tart. No cream in the house. Yoghurt… of course! Wait … can
you use yoghurt to make a custard? Will it curdle? I guess we will find out.
Grind
some almonds to mix with the yoghurt and… (insert epiphany here!) … No, grate
the marzipan billy club to use in the custard. Add eggs, some sugar, a touch of
vanilla, fill a pastry crust, pop the stuffed pears on top, bake, glaze pears
with marmalade, and, voilà, dessert.
The last
two pieces of this one got tested by colleagues Lisa and Chris. Both gave it two
thumbs up. Chris, in a moment of “look what I have!” sent a cell
phone shot to his wife, who was home taking care of their two toddlers. Etiquette
fail, Chris.
While I
think everyone should have a jar of almond praline in their fridge, I am afraid
the world is an unfair place. The good news is that stuffing the pears with
some thick raspberry or blackberry jam is an unbelievably good substitute. Or
simply make a fruit and nut purée.
That is
the beauty of making things up. The fantasy can keep going, because you can’t
always have the perfect ingredients on hand. Use fresh marzipan to make
this, or ground almonds mixed with butter and sugar. You can use cream in the
custard. You don’t have to stuff the pears – in fact, you can just top it with pear or peach slices or fresh
raspberries after you bake it.
Go wild!
Make it your own! Have some fun in that kitchen on your day off!
~ David
Pear Tart
Poached
Pears
6 small
Seckel pears, peeled
1 750ml
bottle sweet white wine
1/2 cup
sugar
1
teaspoon vanilla
Partially
core pears leaving the stem end in tact.
Place
wine, sugar, and vanilla in a large saucepan. Fill the wine bottle with water and
add it to the saucepan. Add pears, bring to a boil, reduce heat and poach until
pears are tender. This will depend on the ripeness of your pears – from 20-45
minutes. Drain, and set aside to cool.
Crust
1 1/3
cups flour
1
tablespoon sugar
8
tablespoons unsalted butter
1 egg
yolk
ice water
Place the
flour and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and, using the steel blade, use
once to combine. Add butter in 8 pieces, and pulse 10 times. Place egg yolk into
a 1/4-cup measure, break it up with a fork, and then fill the rest of the
measure with ice water. Sprinkle this atop the flour and butter, then process
until a ball of dough forms around the blade. (You don’t need to clean the
processor for the next step)
Roll
dough into an 11-inch round and use it to line a 9-inch tart pan (with
removable bottom). Trim the edges and chill till ready to fill.
Filling
7 ounces
marzipan
3
tablespoons flour
1/4 cup
sugar
1 cup
Greek (or Greek-style yogurt)
2 eggs
1/2
teaspoon vanilla
Using the
coarse holes on a box grater, grate the marzipan into the bowl of a food
processor fitted with the steel blade (same one used to make the crust). Then
add the 3 tablespoons flour and sugar and process until the mixture resembles
sand. Add yogurt, eggs, and vanilla, and process until smooth. Set aside.
Finishing
3
tablespoons almond praline or other filling of choice
2
tablespoons orange marmalade
Preheat
oven to 350°F.
Stuff a
heaping teaspoon of praline into the cavity of each pear. Set stuffed pears
aside on their sides so that the stuffing doesn’t ooze out.
Remove
crust from the refrigerator, and pour filling into crust. Arrange pears, bottom-side
down, evenly around the tart in a circle.
Bake for 30-35
minutes. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.
Melt the
two tablespoons of marmalade in a small saucepan. While the tart is still very
hot, using a pastry brush, brush the pears with melted marmalade being careful
not to get it on the custard.
Allow to
cool completely before serving.
Serves
6-8 (if 8, not everyone will get a whole pear!)
Unknown
October 25, 2014 at 4:49 pmWow, oh wow, oh wow! This is just gorgeous & it sounds amazing! I like the way your mind works! xoxo
Cocoa & Lavender
October 25, 2014 at 9:33 pmThanks, Susan! It was fun to create!
Lizthechef
October 25, 2014 at 5:54 pmLooks terrific and I'm dying to make a pear tart once our San Diego weather cools a bit.
Cocoa & Lavender
October 25, 2014 at 9:34 pmLiz – so sorry it is still hot in San Diego. Still pretty warm herein Tucson, too, but the AC is good!
Ahu Shahrabani
October 25, 2014 at 6:33 pmThis looks beautiful. I love the dishes that seem to unfurl and evolve upon themselves 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
October 25, 2014 at 9:34 pmYes, Ahu – it is almost as if ingredients just jumped into my hands!
john | heneedsfood
October 25, 2014 at 7:48 pmLoving the experimentation here, David. That's half the fun of being in the kitchen. That custard looks perfectly set!
Cocoa & Lavender
October 25, 2014 at 9:35 pmIt is what I call "therapy," John. I need more of it!
madelief
October 25, 2014 at 8:46 pmGenius.
Cocoa & Lavender
October 25, 2014 at 9:35 pmNow that is a major compliment! Thanks, Madelief!
Cathleen | My Culinary Mission
October 26, 2014 at 3:53 amOh. My. Goodness. Love, love, love this… amazing, David! You may call it just a pear tart, I call it amazingly beautiful. You rock!
Cocoa & Lavender
October 26, 2014 at 3:17 pmThanks so much, Cathleen! It is so much fun to play in the kitchen, even if you have no idea how it will come out! Just lucky this time! Glad you like it!
Valentina
October 26, 2014 at 4:46 amThis is seriously one of the most beautiful desserts I've seen. I can see just how creamy, rich and fresh it is — all at once. Adding filling to the inside of those tiny pears put it over the top! LOVELY!
Cocoa & Lavender
October 26, 2014 at 3:19 pmValentina, I was originally going to ignore the cored-out section of the pears but with at praline sitting in my fridge… well, I couldn't they'll myself! Thanks!
Sippity Sup
October 26, 2014 at 2:18 pmMaybe it doesn't flow off the tongue, but it certainly flows into the mouth. GREG
Cocoa & Lavender
October 26, 2014 at 3:20 pmANd that is all that counts, isn't it Greg?
Anonymous
October 26, 2014 at 5:10 pmMmmmm….this is pure genius! Now I am torn between making this genius tart and a luscious pear cake I found last autumn on the food blog, "My Kitchen in the Rockies."
Cocoa & Lavender
October 26, 2014 at 10:52 pmWell, my unsolicited advice is to make both. More is better, right? I am also going to post a pear cake soon, so you may have three choices with which to contend! Thanks for your kind comments, Caterina!
Lizzy (Good Things)
October 26, 2014 at 7:43 pmWow, wow, wow, David! Divine. It really deserves a sexier titile though… : )
Cocoa & Lavender
October 26, 2014 at 10:53 pmHow about the Blonde Bombshell? It did come out rather sexy, didn't it? Thanks, Liz!
Cheri Savory Spoon
October 26, 2014 at 8:49 pmHi David, just a tart, I don't think so, this is amazing, love that you poached, then stuffed and then made that incredible filling. Your presentation is wonderful! happy Sunday to you!
Cocoa & Lavender
October 26, 2014 at 10:54 pmThanks, Cheri! As you can see, a day in the kitchen can be very dangerous! I just keep adding until it is almost too much!
Gloria Baker
October 27, 2014 at 11:43 pmI love pears and this tart look heavenly!
Cocoa & Lavender
October 28, 2014 at 12:20 amThanks, Gloria! It is nice to "meet" you here and on Instagram – I look forward to checking out your blog!
Anonymous
October 28, 2014 at 5:18 amOh gosh David!! I've been drooling over this tart ever since I saw it on Instagram and the recipe doesn't disappoint!! That marzipan filling looks amazing! Definitely worthy of being a special occasion dessert… In fact, I might just make it for Aaron's and my anniversary in a couple of weeks 😉
Cocoa & Lavender
October 28, 2014 at 3:32 pmThanks, Laura – I hope you do make it! Let me know what you think. I imagine it will be even better with fresh marzipan! 🙂 Happy Anniversary to you and Aaron!
Anonymous
October 28, 2014 at 1:46 pmI damned the "just" on the title,
this pear tart it worth to die for dessert….
Cocoa & Lavender
October 28, 2014 at 3:32 pmThanks, Dedy – you are, as ever, so nice to say that!
Nuts about food
October 29, 2014 at 12:06 pmA true work of art! I am impressed… but I do think you have to somehow put some of your art and the almond factor into the name. Maybe you should have a contest. And by the way, I read in the comments that the photo was on IG… wait, am I not following you?? Must check immediately
Cocoa & Lavender
October 29, 2014 at 3:07 pmThanks, Fiona! Yes, I think the almond factor is important, so maybe Pear-almond tart. 🙂 Just found you on IG – glad you let me know you were there. It occurs to me that so many of my blogger friends are, and I should look for them, too!
Nuts about food
October 30, 2014 at 9:26 amyes, glad to have connected!
Andrea_TheKitchenLioness
October 30, 2014 at 1:13 pmDavid, your pear tarte is looking very elegant – there is just nothing better sometimes than spending that extra time in the kitchen and unwind a bit with cooking and baking. I know this must have been a delicous treat – it reminds me of my tart that the kids keep asking for all the time but that I do not seem to find the time to make anymore http://kitchenlioness.blogspot.de/2013/09/autumnal-cake-with-vanilla-custard-and.html
Great minds just think alike…
Liebe Grüsse,
Andrea
Cocoa & Lavender
October 30, 2014 at 1:34 pmI think that apple custard tart was one of the first posts of yours that I saw… maybe my subconscious remembered and it inspired my pear tart!
Karen (Back Road Journal)
October 30, 2014 at 2:39 pmI've been having trouble with comments again. Your tart sounds and looks way better than "just a pear tart". You should at least call it "my beautiful pear tart". 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
October 31, 2014 at 1:16 pmThanks, Karen – and thank you for being persistent in leaving comments even when Blogger is inconsistent! I am so glad you liked the tart, and I love your name for it!
Kathy
October 31, 2014 at 11:27 pmOMGosh…this tart looks amazing! I absolutely love the mix of flavors! I have to tackle this one for Thanksgiving! Thanks for sharing, David! Happy weekend!
Cocoa & Lavender
November 1, 2014 at 10:14 pmI think this would be a great Thanksgiving dessert, Kathy! I think I am required {by family tradition} to produce apple and pumpkin pies, though… 🙂