Pear Tart With Cornmeal Crust Recipes

PEAR TART WITH CORNMEAL CRUST

Steps:

• 1. FOR THE CRUST:
• 2. In a food processor, combine the cornmeal, flour, date sugar and salt and process until fine crumbs form.
• 3. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles small peas. Add milk and process just until a dough ball forms.
• 4. Press into a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Refrigerate until set.
• 5. FOR THE FILLING:
• 6. Preheat oven to 425'F
• 7. Peel, halve and core the pears. Place pears cut side down on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife score the pears horizontally across each pear 1/8 inch deep and 1/4 inch apart. Do not cut right through the pear. Arrange 7 pear halves on the prepared crust with the narrow end pointing toward the center.
• 8. Cut a circle from the remaining pear half and place in the pie's center (eat any left over pear)
• 9. In a medium bowl, beat eggs until pale and thickened, about 6-8 minutes. Add the honey, milk, melted butter, vanilla, nutmeg and flour. Blend well.
• 10. Pour the mixture over the pears. Bake 10-15 minutes, then reduce heat to 400'F and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until set and golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack.
• 11. Heat the apricot jam up and melt, brush over the tart. Cool completely before removing and slicing.
• 12. Enjoy!

ROSEMARY-PEAR TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Line bottom and sides of 15x10x1-inch pan with cooking parchment paper.
• In medium bowl, stir together cookie mix and cornmeal. Cut in butter, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until crumbly. Press dough evenly in bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of pan.
• In large bowl, gently toss pears, brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon juice and rosemary. Arrange pears over dough, overlapping slightly.
• Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until pears are tender and crust is golden brown. Cool 1 hour to serve warm, or cool completely.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave jelly uncovered on High 30 seconds. Brush jelly over pears. Cut into squares to serve.

FRESH PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Place a baking sheet on the bottom oven rack.
• Combine sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, and lemon zest in mixing bowl. Roll out half the pastry and line a 9-inch pie pan.
• Arrange pear slices in layers in the pastry-lined pan, sprinkling the sugar mixture over each layer. Dot with butter and sprinkle with lemon juice.
• Roll out remaining dough for the top crust. Use your finger dipped in a small bowl of water to moisten the rim of the bottom crust. Place top crust over filling, and trim edge using kitchen shears or a sharp paring knife. Fold edge under bottom crust, pressing to seal. Flute edge. Cut slits in top crust to allow steam to escape.
• Bake in the preheated oven on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes longer. Allow to cool several hours before serving.

CARAMELIZED PEAR TART WITH CORNMEAL CRUST

Steps:

• Make dough:
• In a bowl whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt. Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes and add to flour mixture. With your fingertips or a pastry blender blend in butter until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with remainder in small (roughly pea-size) lumps. Drizzle 4 tablespoons ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork until incorporated. Test mixture by gently squeezing a small handful: When it has proper texture it should hold together without crumbling apart. If necessary, add enough remaining water, 1 teaspoon at a time, stirring until incorporated and testing, to give mixture proper texture. (If you overwork mixture or add too much water, pastry will be tough.)
• Turn mixture out onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of hand smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together and form it, rotating it on work surface, into a disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour, and up to 1 day.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Make caramelized pears:
• Peel pears and halve lengthwise. Cut each half into 3 wedges and core. In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet melt butter over moderate heat and stir in sugar. Cook mixture, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is golden, about 6 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and let mixture stand until it begins to firm up, about 3 minutes. Arrange pears, rounded sides down, as close together as possible in 2 concentric circles in skillet.
• On a lightly floured surface roll out dough into a 15-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and cut out an 11-inch round. Drape round over pears, tucking edge around pears, and with a fork prick dough in several places. Bake tart in middle of oven until pastry is golden and cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool tart in skillet on a rack 15 minutes.
• Invert a rimmed serving plate slightly larger than skillet over skillet and, wearing oven mitts and keeping plate firmly pressed against skillet, invert tart onto plate. Arrange any loose pears on tart and spoon sauce from plate onto tart. Serve tart warm or at room temperature.