Pear Tart with Buttermilk Blue Affinee Crust |
Fresh Pears (photo by Kevin P, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Our good friend Gwen Kenneally runs Back to the Kitchen, a full-service catering and party planning business based in Southern California. Her culinary talents have delighted her clients for years as she presented them with her original creations. She publishes a terrific blog, also named Back to the Kitchen, with stories of culinary nightmares & triumphs inspiring readers to explore their own creative approaches to cooking.
Generous Gwen just sent us a dessert tart recipe, bound to dazzle special guests, and wrote:
As we move into spring it surprised me that I found the most amazing pears at the open-air market last weekend. As I was pondering the different ways I could use them for my Sunday supper I thought that one of my favorite combinations is pears, blue cheese and cabernet. Since I was planning a special dinner I wanted something a little different. This stunning tart has hints of all of the flavors I love and since it is still technically winter perfectly seasonal as well!
Ingredients for Pear Filling
• 1 Cup O Cabernet Vinegar
• 1 Cup sugar
• 2 Cups water
• 1 Orange, halved
• 1 Lemon, halved
• 1 Inch ginger, peeled
• 3 Cinnamon sticks
• 5 Whole cloves
• 4 Pears, peeled and cored
Preparation of Pear Filling
1. In a large soup pot place all ingredients except pears and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and add pears. Poach until tender about 20 minutes. Remove from stove and coo completely.
2. Refrigerate over night.
Ingredients for Pastry Cream
• 1/3 Cup sugar
• 1 Cup cups milk
• 2 ½ Tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 Egg yolks
• ¼ Cup Butter
• 2 Teaspoons vanilla
Preparation of Pastry Cream
1. In a medium saucepan mix half the sugar to the milk and bring to a boil stirring constantly. In a medium bowl whisk together the rest of the sugar and cornstarch and yolks. Once the milk is boiling pour 1/4 of the milk mixture into the egg mixture whisking constantly. Pour the egg mixture into the rest of the milk mixture and return to the heat whisking until the cream thickens and comes to a complete boil.
2. Remove from the heat and add the butter and vanilla whisking until the butter completely melts. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic until it comes to room temperature.
Ingredients for Crust
• ¾ Cup all flour
• ¼ Teaspoon salt
• 5 Tablespoons butter
• ½ Cup crumbled Buttermilk Blue Affinee
• Up to 4 Tablespoons ice water
• ¼ Cup New Mexico Organic Raspberry Jam, melted
Preparation of Crust & Final Assembly
1. Place butter cut into tiny pieces (I use a grater) and place in the freezer for 15 minutes. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender cut the butter into the flour until the pieces are the size of rice. Add cheese. Sprinkle 1-tablespoon water over part of the flour mixture and stir very gently with a fork, Push moistened dough to the side of the bowl. Repeat using 1 tablespoons of water at a time until all the dough is moistened Roll out to be 10 inches round.
2. Place in a 9-inch tart pan sprayed with bakers joy. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Bake in a preheated 350 oven until golden about 15 minutes.
3. When cool spread the vanilla cream over the crust. Slice the pears and place them decoratively over the cream. Brush with raspberry jelly and refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.
Gwen & Her #1 Protégé
To visit Gwen’s fine blog & gets lots of cooking tips borne of experience, or contact her, go to: Back to the Kitchen
If you'd like to order some of the premium ingredients called for in this recipe go to any of the following:
