Pear and Blue Cheese
Tart – Print This Recipe
Yield: 12 tarts
(5-in/13-cm in diameter)
- 1/2 recipe Pâte Sucrée (recipe follows)
- 3 3/4 oz/106 g almonds, slivered, toasted
- 6 Bosc or Anjou pears, poached in
white wine, halved, peeled, and cored
- 8 oz/227 g Maytag or Pont Reyes blue cheese
- 8 fl oz/240 mL heavy cream
- 4 3/4 oz/135 g sugar
- 2 eggs
- On a floured work surface, working in batches, roll out the
pastry dough 1/8- to 1/4-in/3- to 6-mm thick. Cut out 12 circles 6-in/15-cm in
diameter. Line 12 individual tart pans 5-in/13-cm in diameter
with the dough. Trim any excess dough from the edges. Chill for 30
minutes to an hour.
- Preheat an oven to 400°F/204°C. Lay a small square of
aluminum foil inside each tart pan and fill it with dried beans to weight the
dough during baking. Blind bake the tarts 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to
350°F/177°C and bake 5 more minutes. If the edges of the tart start to brown
too quickly during the baking process, line the edges with aluminum foil. Once
the crusts are finished baking, remove the foil and beans, prick the bottoms
with a fork, and set them aside to cool, leaving them in their molds.
- Divide the almonds evenly and sprinkle into the bottom of
each crust.
- Place one pear half on your work surface at a time. Working with your knife at a diagonal, slice each half crosswise
into 1/4-in/6-mm slices. Arrange the slices of one pear half evenly over
the almonds.
- Place the cheese in a food processor and mix until smooth.
Add the cream, sugar, and eggs. Mix for about 30 seconds, or until the mixture
is smooth. Scrape the bowl down periodically while mixing. Divide the mixture evenly
over the pears in the crust, scraping the bowl out with a rubber spatula.
Spread the mixture gently with a rubber spatula to make sure it covers
everything fairly evenly.
- Bake the tarts in a 350°F/177°C oven for 35 minutes, or
until set.
- Allow the tarts to cool slightly before removing them from
the molds. Slice the tarts and serve them warm.
Chef's note: The tarts can be
sliced in half for a lunch-size serving or into 6 to 8 pieces for hors
d'oeuvre.
Pâte Sucrée
Yield: 5 lb/2.27
kg
- 8 oz/227 g butter
- 13 oz/369 g sugar
- 1/4
tsp/.75 g salt
- 1/4
tsp/1 1/4 mL vanilla extract
- 3
eggs
- 3
egg yolks
- 2
lb 6 oz/1.077 kg pastry flour
- Cream together the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla on
medium speed using a paddle attachment, scraping down the bowl periodically,
until smooth and light in color. Be careful not to overcream the mixture. Add the eggs and yolks gradually, scraping down the bowl and
blending until smooth after each addition. Add the flour all at once and mix on
low speed until just blended.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.
Scale the dough as desired. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour
before rolling. The dough can be held under refrigeration or frozen.
Recipes taken from: Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen, 3rd Edition |
