Best Sticky Pear Tarts With Roquefort Cream Recipes

PEAR AND ROQUEFORT TART

Steps:

• To make the pastry, put the flour and a pinch of salt in a bowl, then add the chilled butter and rub in, using your fingers, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the egg yolk, then gradually add just enough chilled water to bring the mixture together into a firm dough - don't add too much water or the dough may become sticky. (Alternatively, whizz the flour, salt and butter in a food processor until it resembles fine breadcrumbs, then add the egg yolk and the water. Pulse to bring the dough together.)
• Roll out the dough into a circle on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin, then loosely roll the pastry around the rolling pin. Unroll it over a lightly greased 23cm fluted tart tin with a removable base, then gently push the pastry into the tin using a little ball of floured pastry to help you ease it into the tin's edges and flutes. Roll the rolling pin over the top to trim the edges. Prick the base all over with a fork, line the case with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Chill for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Blind bake (see our how to video below) the pastry case for 20 minutes, then remove the paper and beans and bake for 10 minutes more until the pastry begins to turn golden. Remove from the oven, brush the pastry with beaten egg yolk (see tips), then return to the oven for 5 minutes.
• Arrange the pears in neat circles to cover the base of the case. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the pears begin to soften. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the lardons until golden, then set aside. Turn down the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4.
• Put the mascarpone in a bowl and stir briefly to soften, then add the beaten eggs and milk. Stir until smooth and combined. Season with a little salt and lots of black pepper (the bacon and roquefort are salty), then stir in the chopped thyme.
• Scatter the cooked lardons and the roquefort over the softened pears, then pour over the mascarpone mix. Sprinkle over some small thyme sprigs and bake for 25 minutes or until the filling is set and golden. Once cooked, leave to cool in its tin before removing.
• Serve at room temperature with lightly dressed salad leaves.

QUICK PEAR TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon together. Lay puff pastry sheet on a work surface brush with melted butter and sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar. Cut into 6 even pieces. Fan the pear slices over the puff pastry, using 1/2 a pear for each puff pastry square. Sprinkle tops of pear tarts with remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake until pastry is golden and cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove from tart from oven, sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese melts, 5 minutes more.

SPICED PEAR TART

Steps:

• Poach the pears: Combine 2 cups/480 milliliters water, sugar, vanilla extract and star anise pods in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Place the pears in the poaching liquid and cover with a lid. Keep just below a simmer and cook until the pears are tender, about 40 minutes depending on the ripeness of the pears. Remove the pears from the liquid to a plate and cool completely. Slice each pear half crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Set aside.
• While the pears poach and cool, make the pastry: Trim a sheet of puff pastry to one 4 1/2-by-12 inch rectangle. From the remaining puff pastry, cut two 1-by-12-inch strips. Transfer rectangle and strips to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
• Using a pastry brush, brush the beaten egg in a thin 1-inch strip along both long edges of the puff pastry, then place the strips of puff pastry on top. (You should have a rectangle of puff pastry with a puff pastry border down each of the long sides.) Use the back of a chef's knife or the tines of a fork to gently press the strips of puff pastry into the rectangle. Prick the pastry all over with a fork, then refrigerate for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Brush the puff pastry all over with egg wash, then line the center with parchment and fill with baking weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove the parchment and baking weights. Bake until golden brown, about 3 more minutes. As soon as you pull it out of the oven, trim the edges with a knife so the layers line up, if necessary. If the center has puffed up, gently prick with a fork or toothpick to release air. Allow to cool completely.
• While the pastry bakes and cools, make the pastry cream: Combine the milk, vanilla extract, and half the sugar (using 2 tablespoons/30 grams) in a pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-low. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons/30 grams sugar and the cornstarch, then whisk in the yolks. Whisking the eggs and cornstarch continuously, carefully add 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks, and whisk well to combine. Now, whisking the hot milk mixture in the pot continuously, add the egg yolks and cornstarch mixture to the pot. Continue whisking until it thickens. (It happens fast!) Immediately remove from the heat and whisk in the softened butter until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• While pastry cream cools, make the glaze: Combine the pear purée, sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer until slightly reduced and glossy, about 3 minutes. Strain and chill.
• Transfer the puff pastry to a serving platter. Spread about 1 1/2 cups pastry cream down the center of the pastry shell. Place the sliced pear halves over the pastry cream in alternating directions. Brush each pear with a thick layer of pear glaze. Garnish any areas between the pears with toasted almonds. Dust the whole tart with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

PEAR TART WITH DULCE DE LECHE DRIZZLE

Steps:

• Dulce de leche and dough
• If making the dulce de leche, place unopened can of condensed milk on its side in a large pot; pour in room-temperature water to cover by at least 2". Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer, adding water as needed to maintain water level, 3 hours. Let cool in pot in water, 40-60 minutes. Remove can from pot and chill 12 hours before opening.
• Combine granulated sugar, salt, and 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour in a large wide bowl. Add butter and toss until generously coated. Using your fingers smash butter into thin disks, tossing with flour as you go. Work until all the butter has been smashed and coated (irregular pieces of butter produce a flakier crust). Sprinkle vinegar and 1 Tbsp. ice water over and toss with a wooden spoon until just combined (the spoon prevents the butter from warming too quickly). Add another 3 Tbsp. ice water a tablespoonful at a time, stirring after each addition until water is absorbed. Using your hands , continue to work in water by the tablespoonful just until mixture holds together when squeezed in your hand, 2-4 Tbsp. more.
• Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead until a dough forms (be careful not to overwork). If dough is too dry, sprinkle with a few drops of water; if too sticky, work in a little more flour. Roll dough to about an 8x5" rectangle, then fold in half crosswise. Roll back out to an 8x5" rectangle, dusting surface as needed, and fold again. Repeat rolling out and folding 2 more times. Divide dough in half. Tightly wrap each half in plastic or parchment paper and gently form into 1"-thick disks (you'll only need 1 for the tart). Chill at least 1 hour.
• Do ahead: Unopened dulce de leche can be made 3 months ahead; keep chilled. Opened dulce de leche can be made 3 weeks ahead; transfer to an airtight container and chill. Dough can be made 3 days ahead; keep chilled, or freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature 1-2 hours or in the fridge overnight before using.
• Filling and assembly
• Place a rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 375°. Let a disk of dough sit 5 minutes at room temperature. Line a 9" or 10"-diameter tart pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface, rotating often and dusting as needed to prevent sticking, to ¼" thick. Fold dough in half and transfer to prepared pan . Unfold and lift edges so dough slumps down into corners. Gently press dough into pan with the back of your index finger. Trim pastry with kitchen shears or a paring knife to a 1" border. Fold excess over into pan and press double layer into sides of pan. Prick bottom of tart a few times with a fork. Chill while you prepare the filling. For a decorative crust like in the photo, see chef's note at the end of the recipe.
• Pour lemon juice onto a large rimmed plate or into a shallow bowl. Working one at a time, hold stem of each pear and cut vertically into 4 pieces, working your way around the core; discard core. Set pieces cut side down and slice lengthwise ¼" thick, keeping slices in groups. Place in lemon juice to prevent cuts sides from browning.
• Combine granulated sugar, flour, lemon zest, cinnamon, and ½ tsp. salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle mixture evenly over dough and dot all over with frozen butter. Fan each group of pears in crust in alternating directions.
• Whisk egg, a pinch of salt, and 1 Tbsp. water in a small bowl to combine. Brush edges of pastry with egg wash and sprinkle 2-3 Tbsp. raw sugar in an even layer over pears and crust. Place tart on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling slightly, about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Remove tart from pan by lifting parchment and transfer to a cutting board or large plate.
• To serve, cut tart into slices and transfer to plates. Open dulce de leche and drizzle some over each slice if desired.
• Do ahead: Tart can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature, or cover and chill up to 4 days.
• Chef's note: For a decorative crust, roll out dough scraps to ⅛"-¼" thick on a lightly floured surface and chill 5 minutes. Generously flour surface and pastry and cut into decorative shapes with pie cutters or small cookie cutters. Gently press around edges of tart as desired. Brush tops of cutouts with egg wash to help them stick and freeze tart 1 hour (cutouts will keep their shape best during baking if they are frozen solid) then continue to fill and bake as instructed. If cutouts brown too much before tart is done, cover individually with small pieces of foil.

CARAMELIZED PEAR AND ROQUEFORT TART

Steps:

• To make the crust, put the walnuts in a food processor and pulse until ground. Add the flour, sugar and salt and pulse just to combine. Add the butter and pulse until most of the butter is incorporated into the flour. Add the yolk mixture and pulse until the dough begins to come together. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic. Chill.
• To make the filling, melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the pears to the skillet and saute until browned on both sides, about 8 minutes. Remove the pears from the skillet and repeat with the remaining pears. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough between large sheets of plastic wrap and fit it into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Cover with parchment paper or aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and bake the crust until it is golden, about 7 minutes more.
• Arrange the pear halves in a circle over the dough, core side down and wider end toward the edge of the pan. Fill in the center with more pears. Crumble the cheese over and around the pears.
• Whisk together the half-and- half, sugar, egg yolks and flour. Pour over the pears. Bake until the custard is set, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, simmer the port in a small saucepan until it is reduced to a syrup. While the tart is still warm and just before serving, brush the port over the pears. Cut into wedges and serve.