Ingredients
FOR THE PASTRY
8 oz plain flour
1 pinch sea salt
1 tbsp caster sugar
5 oz unsalted butter
1 egg yolk, size 1
3 tbsp very cold water
FOR THE FILLING
4 large ripe pears
200 g lebkuchen biscuits
2 oz ground hazlenuts
5 oz unsalted butter
4 1/2 oz caster sugar
2 eggs, size 1
2 tbsp ginger wine
1 crsme fraoche (optional)
Directions
You will need a 10in tart tin, preferably 1 1/2in deep, with a
removable base; some baking parchment; dried baking beans.
Preheat the oevn to gas mark 5, 375øF, 190øC.
Put the flour, salt, sugar in the processor and whiz for a few
seconds. Chop the butter roughly with a knife, add to the flour, and
process for about 15 seconds until you have a rough, crumb-like
mixture. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk and water together and
then add to the flour and butter. Whiz for about 30 seconds or until
the pastry dough has left the sides of the bowl and is clinging in a
solid mass around the central spindle. Take out the pastry and
lightly mould with your hands into a flattish round, so that later it
will roll out more easily to the shape of the tart tin. Wrap it in
clingfilm and put in the fridge to rest for about 30 minutes or
overnight.
Take a scrap of butter and thoroughly grease the tart tin, paying
special attention to the area where the base and sides meet. Roll out
your pastry to the thickness of a chamois leather (you will have some
surplus). Line the tart tin, making sure you do not strtch the
pastry, by starting in the middle of the tin and draping the pastry
gently and easily outwards towards the corners and then up the sides.
Prick the base all over with a fork and put the tin back into the
fridge for another 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut a piece of baking parchment to fit inside the pastry
crust. Remove the pastry lined tin from the fridge, line with the
baking parchment and sprinkle some beans over the bottom. Place in
the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes until the pastry has 'set'
and is light golden. Remove from the oven, take out the parchment and
beans, and return pastry crust to the oven for a further 3 minutes to
colour the bottom. Then remove again and leave to cool, still in the
tin.
Put the biscuits in a food processor and whiz until coarse crumbs.
Empty and combine the crumbs and ground hazelnuts in a bowl. Now put
the butter and sugar in the food processor and cream together until
smooth and fluffy. Beat the eggs in a small bowl until well mixed. To
prevent the 'frangipane' curdling, first add about a third of the nut
and crumb mixture to the creamed butter in the food processor and
whiz for a few seconds until incorporated. Carry on with the nut and
crumbs, then egg, until everything is mixed in but do not over
process. Finally, add the ginger wine or other liqueur.
Peel the pears and cut them in half lengthways. Core, but leave the
stalks on. Then make lengthways cuts down the pears, as if to fan,
leaving the base intact. Now spoon in the frangipane mixture to cover
the pastry case and place the pears on top with the stalks pointing
towards the middle. Bake for 25 minutes at gas mark 3, 325øF, 170øC
until golden brown and the mixture only just set - it's better if the
mixture is still a little soft in the centre as it add a creamy
texture to the finished tart. This is better eaten just warm rather
than piping hot. Serve either plain or with a good dollop of crSme
fraOche.
Servings: 6 servings
Peppernut Pear Tart Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Dessert; Pear
The History of Recipes
Recipes as a concept can be traced far back into ancient history, at least as far as the Egyptians, and maybe even further. Interesting though that is, mostly, these early cook books were just simple hieroglyphic recipes for food preparation.
In an interesting twist, the oldest recipe discovered, according to academics is a series of ancient tablets in ancient Sumerian describing the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making those who drank it feel blissful and exhilarated. During the time of the Romans a roman called Apicius compiled some scripts describing recipes cooked by his fellow Romans. In his publication, he tells us how the roman meals were separated into appetizers, main course and desserts, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. Aspicius informs us how the ancient cooks were skilled in the use of many different aromatic flavors, including many that are still in use today for example bay, fennel and asafoetida. Moving our culinary historical trip onwards, there were a couple of interesting recipe books which appeared in the 14th Century ; a cookery book called `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary entitled `Curye on Inglish`. Despite their titles, these two books are unconnected to the indian curry that is served today, but instead descriptions of the types of meals enjoyed by the rich and powerful of the time. Later on, in the 15th century, people returning from the crusades brought us many foods and herbs from the holy land, such as rosemary and coriander. The introduction of these new culinary ideas led to a torrent in books on cookery, the majority of which are now in academic collections. Over the next few hundred years, the rich and powerful families of the West competed with each other to lay on the most exotic meals, and consequentially cooks and their recipe collections were at a premium. However, it was during the nineteenth century that fine cooking and cookery books became popular. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the USA, spent years to collating, trying out, and recording recipes of the day. When we get to the 20th century, cookery books were in high demand, mostly as a result of better eduction, people having more spare time and having more disposable income. |
We hope you enjoy this Peppernut Pear Tart recipe.
