Chocolate-pear Tart
| CATEGORY | CUISINE | TAG | YIELD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruits | California | Black tie, Cake, Fruit, Menu | 6 | Servings |
INGREDIENTS
| SHORTBREAD CRUST: | ||
| 9 | T | Unsalted butter |
| 9 | T | Confectioners' sugar, sifted |
| 1 1/2 | c | All-purpose flour, sifted |
| unbleached | ||
| CHOCOLATE LAYER: | ||
| 6 | oz | Semisweet chocolate, or |
| bittersweet | ||
| 2 | T | Unsalted butter |
| POACHED PEARS: | ||
| 2 | c | Water |
| 1 | c | Sugar |
| 1 | t | Vanilla extract |
| 1 | Strip lemon peel, 3 inch | |
| 1/2 | Cinnamon stick | |
| Splash of Cognac | ||
| 4 | Pears, Bosc | |
| GLAZE: | ||
| 1 | Jar apricot preserves, 12 | |
| ounce | ||
| 2 | T | Curacao, orange liqueur or |
| Pear brandy | ||
| GARNISH: | ||
| 1/4 | c | Sliced almonds, toasted |
INSTRUCTIONS
To make the shortbread crust, cream together the butter and sugar. Blend in= the flour to make a soft dough. Add 1 more tablespoon butter if the mixture will not incorporate all the flour. Preheat the oven to 350F. Pat the dough evenly by hand into the bottom and 1 1/2 to 2 inches up the sides of a 10-inch springform pan. Prick well with a fork. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool completely. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler over simmering water. Spread on the bottom and up the side a little to hide the 'seam' of the the tart shell and let cool until the chocolate hardens. To Prepare Pears: peel, stem, halve, and core the pears. (Photo tells me that the pears were peeled by slicing; the roundness is sharpened into an 8-sided geometry that is quite attractive.) Bring the water and sugar to a boil over medium heat in a large saucepan, stirring only until the sugar is dissolved. Add the vanilla, lemon peel, cinnamon and Cognac and cook for 5 minutes. Add the pears and poach for 10 to 15 minutes, until they can be easily pierces with a sharp paring knife. Let cool in the syrup. For the glaze, put the apricot preserves in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Strain and add the liqueur. To assemble, drain the pears well, pat them dry, cut crosswise into l/4-inch slices (as evenly as possible across all pears) and arrange carefully in the tart shell, stem ends at the center. (Photo shows 7-halves ~- not all 8 -- in the wheel.) Brush the pears with some of the apricot glaze and sprinkle with the toasted almonds. Use a warm or heated sharp knife to cut wedges. (c) 1986 by Los Angeles County Museum of Art. NY: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc. [mc-recipe: patH Sep 96] Recipe By : California Cooking: Parties, Picnics & Celebrations Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #242 Date: Fri, 11 Oct 1996 20:26:00 -0700 (PDT) From: PatH <phannema@wizard.ucr.edu> NOTES : Menu "Black Tie Dinner in Beverly Hills" A dramatic dessert, fruit and chocolate. Makes one 10-inch tart. By using a springform pan, is 'tres elegante'
A Message from our Provider:
“Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.”
Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 817
Calories From Fat: 291
Total Fat: 34.1g
Cholesterol: 58.4mg
Sodium: 39.2mg
Potassium: 235.3mg
Carbohydrates: 119.3g
Fiber: 4.7g
Sugar: 36.8g
Protein: 13.4g