Forelle Pear Tart

These lovely little tarts are quick to make and easy to eat. Forelle pears are tiny fruits with a beautiful texture and wonderful fragrance. It’s hard to pass up a fresh ripe pear for eating when you want a delicate sweet dessert, so purchase extra ones just for eating later.

 

I have been catching up on the final gardening chores that need doing. Late fall is a calm time to put the garden to sleep and prepare for the winter ahead. The weather is calm and the cloudy skies cast a silvery tone throughout the scenery, which is rather lovely by the way.

 

On completing the final wintering in the garden I can now get back into the kitchen where it’s warm and toasty, make a few tarts and say hello to a relaxing afternoon.

 

Hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday with family, friends and great food.

 

Forelle Pear Tart Recipe

 

2 cups gluten-free baking mix

1 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg, room temp

¼ teaspoon sea salt

 

4 ripe, but fir Forelle pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

 

[Frangipane Ingredients]

¾ cup confectioner’s sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg, room temp

¾ cup almond meal

1 Tablespoon gluten-free baking mix

1 Tablespoon almond extract

 

1/3 cup sliced almonds, coarse chopped

1/3 cup apricot jam, strained and heated for glazing

 

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

 

preparing the tart dough:

1. In a food processor, combine the sugar and butter.

2. Add in the egg and sea salt; process for a minute or so.

3. Add the baking mix and run the processor until a ball of dough forms.

4. Chill dough in a flattened rectangle for 2 hours or until solid.

5. Divide dough into eight pieces, working with one piece at a time, roll dough and press into three inch tart pans. Chill while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

*note: Tart dough should be rolled between sheets of parchment for ease of lining tart pans.

 

preparing the frangipane:

1. Whisk together butter and sugar until smooth.

2. Add egg and beat in until smooth and creamy.

3. Stir in almond meal, gluten free mix and almond extract.

 

assembling and baking the tarts:

1. Spread frangipane evenly into prepared tart pans.

2. Place pears down the center of each tart and press lightly into the frangipane.

3. Bake for approximately 25-28 minutes until filling has puffed and top has browned.

4. Brush on apricot jam and sprinkle almonds around the edges.

Serves 8.

 

 

*Gluten-Free Baking Mix Recipe

2 ¼ cups white rice flour

1 ¼ cups brown rice flour [Use superfine brown rice for a finer texture]

1 cup tapioca flour

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

 

1. Whisk together all of the ingredients well and store in sealed container.

Makes 4 ½ cups baking mix.

Almond Pear Frangipane Tarts

Where is the summer going? I think a lot of us are extra busy this year and its time we take a little break to enjoy what short summer we have. The garden seems to be in a hurry this year to bloom. The fall bloomers are just about ready. Checking years past they start to bloom at the end of August. So let’s take some relaxation time and perhaps serve it up with something sweet.

Who’s in the mood for pears, I am? It’s one of my favorite fruits. Don’t let the heat of the summer keep you out of the kitchen. This recipe is rather quick to make and with a short time in the oven you will have a delicious dessert to enjoy outdoors.

Almond Pear Tart Recipe

 

3 ripe D’anjou pears

Pâte Sucrée

Frangipane

1/3 cup apricot jam

1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Pâte Sucrée

2 cups all-purpose flour

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 large egg

¼ teaspoon sea salt

 

1. Process butter and confectioner’s sugar together until fluffy, 2 minutes.

2. Add egg and sea salt and process for another minute or so.

3. Add flour and pulse just until combined, approximately 5 seconds.

4. Dump bowl onto a work surface and knead just to form a ball.

5. Roll out between two sheets of wax paper to an eighth of an inch.

Chill at least 2 hours.

6. Peel off one side of the parchment and invert over 6-4 1/2 inch tart rings.

7. Press down on the dough so the tart pans cut the dough to size.

8. Press dough into the sides of the pans and then the bottoms.

-If there are any tears in the dough just push to seal.

-If it is very warm in the kitchen, you can roll out individual tart shells; just divide dough into six even pieces.

 

Frangipane Recipe:

¾ cup granular sugar

¾ cup almond meal

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon almond extract

1 large egg

 

Preparing the frangipane:

1. Combine the butter and sugar together until smooth.

2. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth.

3. Fill a piping bag with a ½ inch round tip with frangipane.

 

Baking the tarts:

1. Remove prepared tart shells from refrigerator and pipe a ¼ inch layer of frangipane into the bottom.

 -Alternate: Divide frangipane evenly between tarts and spread out using the back of a spoon.

2. Peel, halve and core pears, placing one half in the center of each tart.

3. Bake for 35-40 minutes until frangipane has risen and edges are golden in color.

4. Cool for 15 minutes before removing tarts from their pans.

Finishing the tarts:

1. Heat apricot jam in a small saucepan and strain through a fine mess sieve.

2. Brush jam over tart tops and sprinkle toasted almonds around the edges.