Poached Pear and Almond Tart

Poached Pear and Almond Tart (Adapted by Dorie Greenspan and Bon Appetit, on smittenkitchen)

Best Sweet Tart Crust
Adapted from a few Dorie Greenspan recipes

Makes enough for one 9-inch tart crust

Ingredients:

·        1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour

·        1/2 cup (60 grams) confectioner’s sugar

·        1/4 teaspoon (1 to 2 grams) table salt

·        1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons, 4 1/2 ounces or 130 grams) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

·        1 large egg yolk

Directions:

1.      Put the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in — you should have pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas. Stir the yolk, 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 pulse about 10 seconds each until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change; heads up. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing. Chill the dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, for about 2 hours before rolling.*

2.      To roll the dough: Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll out chilled dough on floured sheet of parchment paper to 12-inch round, lifting and turning dough occasionally to free from paper. Using paper as aid, turn dough into 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom; peel off paper. Seal any cracks in dough. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold overhang in, making double-thick sides. Pierce crust all over with fork.

3.      Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

4.      To fully bake the crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil (or use nonstick foil) and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. (Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights.) Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. (if looks under-baked at 25 min, it’s ok because you will bake it with the tart filling later)

5.      Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon (or prick it with the tip of a small knife). Bake the crust about 10 minutes longer, or until it is firm and golden brown, brown being the important word: a pale crust doesn’t have a lot of flavor. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature.

Storing: The dough can be wrapped and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. While the fully baked crust can be packed airtight and frozen for up to 2 months, the flavor will be fresher bake it directly from the freezer, already rolled out–just add about 5 minutes to the baking time.

* Alternate press-in technique: If you want to use the press-in method, you can work with the dough as soon as it’s processed. Just press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Don’t be too heavy-handed; press the crust in so that the edges of the pieces cling to one another, but don’t press so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture. (put dough in fridge for 30 min-1 hour. Had trouble rolling the dough so used the press-in method)

Pear and Almond Tart
Adapted from Bon Appetit, February 2005

If you’d like to use canned pears halves for this–it is trés French, you see–just drain the canned pears, dry them very well, and carry on.

Ingredients:

Pears
4 cups (950 ml) water
1 1/4 cups (225 grams) sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons (20 ml) fresh lemon juice
3 medium-size firm but ripe Bosc pears, peeled (each about 7 ounces or 200 grams)

Almond Filling
2/3 cup (75 grams) blanched slivered almonds
1 tablespoon (10 grams) all purpose flour
7 tablespoons (90 grams) sugar
6 tablespoons (3 ounces or 85 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract or 2 teaspoons (10 ml) brandy (optional)

1 sweet tart shell, baked (recipe above)

Powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:

1.      For pears: Bring 4 cups water, sugar, and lemon juice to boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add pears. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until pears are very tender, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool pears in syrup. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

2.      For almond filling: Finely grind almonds and flour in processor. Mix in 7 tablespoons sugar, then butter and flavorings (if using). Blend until smooth. Mix in egg. Transfer filling to medium bowl. Cover and chill at least 3 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.)

3.      Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Spread almond filling evenly in baked tart crust. Stem pears and cut each in half lengthwise; scoop out cores. Cut each half crosswise into thin slices. Gently press each pear half to fan slices but keep slices tightly overlapped. Slide spatula under pears and arrange atop filling like spokes of wheel with narrow ends in center.

4.      Bake tart until golden and tester inserted into center of filling comes out clean, about 55 minutes (next time, would check at 45 min). Cool tart in pan on rack. Push pan bottom up, releasing tart from pan. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Cut tart into wedges; sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, and serve.

Poached Pear and Almond Tart From Cook's Illustrated

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Since a poached pear and almond tart requires a substantial investment of time, we wanted our pear tart recipe to be worthwhile. During our testing, we determined that ripe yet firm Bosc or Bartlett pears gave our pear tart recipe the best flavor, especially when poached in white wine spiced with a cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, whole cloves, and a vanilla bean. For the frangipane in our pear tart recipe, we processed blanched slivered almonds in a food processor with sugar, so they could be ground superfine without becoming greasy. We made sure to dry the pears before setting them on the frangipane—otherwise, they released moisture, turning the dessert sticky and wet.

INGREDIENTS

Poached Pears

·        1 bottle white wine (750 ml)

·        ⅔ cup granulated sugar (about 4 1/2 ounces)

·        2 tablespoons lemon juice from 1 lemon plus 4 or 5 large strips zest removed with vegetable peeler

·        3 inch piece cinnamon stick

·        15 whole black peppercorns

·        3 whole cloves

·        ⅛ teaspoon table salt

·        ½ vanilla bean, slit in half lengthwise (optional)

·        4 ripe but firm pears (about 8 ounces each), preferably Bosc or Bartlett

Tart Pastry (Pâte Sucrée)

·        1 large egg yolk

·        2 tablespoons heavy cream

·        ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

·        1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)

·        ¾ cup confectioners' sugar (3 ounces)

·        ¼ teaspoon table salt

·        10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks), very cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Almond Filling (Frangipane)

·        4 ounces blanched slivered almonds (1 cup)

·        ½ cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)

·        ⅛ teaspoon table salt

·        1 large egg

·        1 large egg white

·        ½ teaspoon almond extract

·        ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

·        6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces and softened to room temperature

Glaze

·        ¼ cup apple jelly

INSTRUCTIONS

MAKES ONE 11-INCH TART, SERVING 10 TO 12

This tart has several components, but each can be prepared ahead, and the tart is baked several hours before serving. If you cannot find blanched slivered almonds, use whole blanched almonds, but chop them coarsely before processing to make sure they form a fine, even grind. The pears should be ripe but firm, the flesh giving slightly when gently pressed with a finger. Purchase the pears a few days ahead and allow them to ripen at room temperature. If they ripen before you need them, refrigerate them and use them within a day or two, or poach them and hold them in their syrup (they will keep for about 3 days). Many tasters liked the bright, crisp flavor of pears poached in Sauvignon Blanc. Chardonnay-poached pears had deeper, oakier flavors and were also well liked.

1. TO POACH THE PEARS: Combine wine, sugar, lemon juice and zest, cinnamon, peppercorns, cloves, and salt in large, nonreactive saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean pod (if using), and add seeds and pod to saucepan. Bring mixture to simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Meanwhile, halve, core, and peel pears (see illustrations below). Slide pears into simmering wine; increase heat to high and return to simmer; then reduce heat to low and simmer; covered; until pears are tender; toothpick or skewer inserted into pear should slide in and out with very little resistance; and outer edges of pears have turned translucent; about 10 minutes; turning pears in liquid halfway through poaching time using wooden spoon or spatula. Off heat, cool pears in liquid, partially covered, until pears have turned translucent and are cool enough to handle, about 1 hour. (Pears and liquid may be transferred to nonreactive bowl or container, cooled to room temperature, covered, and refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

2. FOR THE TART PASTRY: Whisk together yolk, cream, and vanilla in small bowl. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in food processor with four 1-second pulses. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture; pulse to cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal, about twenty 1-second pulses. With machine running, add egg mixture and process until dough comes together, about 12 seconds. Turn dough onto sheet of plastic wrap and press into 6-inch disk; wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 48 hours.

1.      Remove dough from refrigerator (if refrigerated longer than 1 hour, let stand at room temperature until malleable). Unwrap and roll out between lightly floured large sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap (or piece 4 small sheets together to form 2 large sheets) to 15-inch round. (If dough becomes soft and sticky, slip onto baking sheet and refrigerate until workable, about 20 minutes.) Transfer dough to tart pan by rolling dough loosely over rolling pin and unrolling over 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Working around circumference of pan, ease dough into pan corners by gently lifting dough with one hand while pressing dough into corners with other hand. Press dough into fluted sides of pan, patching breaks or cracks if necessary. (If some edges are too thin, reinforce sides by folding excess dough back on itself.) Run rolling pin over top of tart pan to remove excess dough. Set dough-lined tart pan on baking sheet or large plate and freeze 30 minutes. (Frozen dough-lined tart pan can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen up to 1 month.)

2.      Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Set dough-lined tart pan on baking sheet; lightly spray one side of 18-inch square heavy-duty extra-wide foil with nonstick cooking spray. Press foil, greased-side down, inside frozen tart shell, folding excess foil over edge of tart pan; fill with metal or ceramic pie weights. Bake until dry, pale gold, and edges have just begun to color, about 20 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. Remove from oven and carefully remove foil and weights by gathering edges of foil and pulling up and out. Set baking sheet with tart shell on wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

3. FOR THE ALMOND FILLING: Pulse almonds, sugar, and salt in food processor until finely ground, about 25 two-second pulses; process until as finely ground as possible, about 10 seconds longer. Add egg and egg white, almond and vanilla extracts; process until combined, about 10 seconds. Add butter and process until no lumps remain, about 10 seconds. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula and process to combine thoroughly, about 10 seconds longer. (Can be refrigerated in airtight container up to 3 days. Before using, let stand at room temperature about 30 minutes to soften, stirring 3 or 4 times.)

4. TO ASSEMBLE, BAKE, AND GLAZE THE TART: Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Remove pears from poaching liquid; set pears cut-side down on triple thickness paper towels and pat dry with additional paper towels. Follow illustrations 1 through 6, below, to spread frangipane in tart shell and slice and arrange pears.

1.      Bake tart on baking sheet until crust is deep golden brown and almond filling is puffed, browned, and firm to the touch, about 45 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking time. Cool tart on baking sheet on wire rack 10 minutes.

2.      Bring jelly to boil in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally to smooth out lumps. When boiling and completely melted, brush glaze on pears. Cool tart to room temperature, about 2 hours. (Tart can be kept at room temperature longer but should be served the day it is made.)

3.      Remove outer metal ring of tart pan, slide thin metal spatula between bottom of crust and tart pan bottom to release, then slip tart onto cardboard round or serving platter; cut into wedges and serve.

STEP-BY-STEP

Assembling the Tart

1.      Spread frangipane evenly into partially baked and cooled tart shell using offset icing spatula.

2.      Cut one pear half crosswise into 3/8-inch slices; do not separate slices, and leave pear half intact on cutting board. Pat dry with paper towels to absorb excess moisture.

3.      Discard first 4 slices from narrow end of sliced pear half. Slide icing spatula under sliced pear and, steadying it with one hand, slide pear to center of tart.

4.      Cut and dry another pear half following step 2. Slide spatula under pear and gently press pear to fan slices toward narrow end.

5.      Slide fanned pear onto frangipane, narrow end toward center, making a flower-petal pattern off the center pear.

6.      Repeat steps 2, 4, and 5 with remaining pear halves, spacing them evenly. If necessary, use spatula to push pears to space them evenly.

STEP-BY-STEP

Preparing the Pears for Poaching

1.      Cut each pear in half through stem and blossom ends. With tip of paring knife, cut out seed core from each pear half.

2.      Remove blossom end of each pear half, then remove thin fibrous core and stem by making V-shaped incision along both sides of the core.

3.      Working quickly to avoid discoloration, peel cored pear halves with vegetable peeler.