Pear Almond Chocolate Tart

Pear is in season now.  Autumn temperature comes well with warm pear almond tart.  But with a twist, an experiment of making a chocolate base.  Very strong chocolate favour.  When it is eaten alone, my father loved the dominant chocolate, almost sweetless richness.  My mum regarded it a bit bitter.  When it is eaten together with the filling.  Bingo!  Good match.  Just, be honest, the colour is not the most tempting.  The original one without the brown looks more in harmony.  This one, a devil’s call – eat me, I am not beautiful but delicious.

This recipe is from Laura Washburn, both the tart base and filling.  Just some substitutions and sugar reduced.

Tart base
160g flour
40g cacao
100g butter
2 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
3 Tbsp water

Dice the butter when cold.  Mix with sifted flour and cocao, sugar, salt.  Add water and form a dough.  Do not knead too much.

Keep it in the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes. 

Roll out and lay it on a tart pan.  Refrigerate it for 30 to 60 mintues.

Bake blind at 200C for 15 minutes.  Remove the baking beans and bake for further 15 minutes.

Next come the filling.  100g Butter
85g sugar
100g ground almond
2 large eggs

Whisk butter and sugar till light and fluffy.  Blend in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated

Fold in the ground almond.

Pour the filling onto cool tart base.

Bake at 190C for 25 to 30 minutes.  Serve warm.  Heavenly good!

Mango Lime Tart

 

Work was much in the week of being in Shanghai.  Body and soul were exhausted.  This weekend I am back to Hong Kong.  Passion for baking is there but the mind is exhausted.  I picked a receipt from Claire Clarke again, mainly it is still a good period for mango.  Quick puff pastry is also a new trial.  The look of the tart is rustic and the taste is good.  It is quite soft, both the base and the filling.  Nevertheless, a lot has gone to my stomach.

Room for improvement:  use a 23cm deep tart tin to have a thicker filling & add a bit more ground almond.

Quick Puff Pastry
200g bread flour
4g salt
200g butter (firm but not hard), cut into 2.5 cm cubes
50ml or less cold water

• Sift the flour and salt
• Use your fingers and lightly work the butter cubes and flour together.
• Add water and gradually mix all the ingredients together.  Do not knead it, and stop working the pastry as soon as it becomes homogeneous.  It should till contain flakes of butter.

• Roll out the dough into a rectangle 3 times as long as it is wide.  Fold in one third of the dough, then fold the remaining third on top to make 3 layers.
• Give it a quarter turn so the sealed, bookend edge is on your right.  This is your first ‘turn’
• Roll the pastry out in a length towards and away from you until it is 1cm inch thick, dusting the work surface regularly with flour and picking up the pastry to make sure it is not sticking. 
• When it is 3 times as long as it is wide again, fold it as before.  Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
• Repeat the rolling and folding process twice more, to make 4 turns in total.  Wrap the pastry well in cling film and chill for 1 hour before using.
• Roll the puff pastry out on a lightly floured work surface to about 5mm 1/4 inch thick, then use to line a 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin.  Do not trim off the excel pastry but leave it overhanging the tin.
• Place in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes
• Preheat the oven to 180C.  Bake blind for 15-20 minutes until the pastry has started to colour and the base is firm to the touch.
• Remove the beans and continue baking for about 10 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.  Leave to cool completely.

 

Tart Filling
2 large eggs
82g sugar
Grated zest of 1 lime
100g ground almonds
15g butter, melted
2 mangoes

• Whisk eggs and sugar until pale, fluffy and triple in volume
• Add the lime zest and mix in well. 
• Fold in sifted ground almond and try to keep the volume
• Melt the butter and pour in down the side of the bowl.  Fold in gently
• Dice the mango and arrange them in the pastry case, then spoon the filling on top and level with a spatula
• Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for about 20 minutes until the filling spring back when pressed gently. Cool in the tin for a while, then turn out and lace on a wire rack to cool completely.

Tuscan Chocolate Pear Tart

I’ve got a new tart pan,  retangular one.  Its size approximately equals to 16cm round one.    I have been wanting one since I saw a very nice presentation in a dessert book,  Never Skip Dessert by Gregoire Michaud (a Swiss pastry chef working at Four Seasons Hong Kong).  It’s a chocolate tart, very tempting.  Efforts spent on searching at the internet.  Inclusive the shipping charge makes it terribly expensive.  Finally, I found one available in Hong Kong.  It’s from Sweetiebaking.  Of course, I am eager to start using it.  I picked this Tuscan Chocolate Pear Tart from Jamie Oliver, with portion adjustment.

Sticking to his way, the tart bottom was not as crispy as my other tarts.  It should be due to skipping of the blind baking but put the pears on top of it.  So, I put an alternative way in the recipe:  Still go for the blink baking.  Cook the pears to soften them. 

330g sweet pastry      250ml single cream           
2 pears              3 tbsp caster sugar    
165g chocolate (70%)   25g butter

Roll out the shortcrust pastry to form a rectangular (10*25*2.3 cm) and a circular shape (18cm). Pierce the pastry with a fork

Sprinkle with half the sugar and rest for 1 minute

Layout pear slices on top of the pastry

Bake at 190°C for around 18 minutes, or until golden

Alternatively, bake the pastry alone.  Cook the pears till soft and layout slices on top of the pastry. This should leave the pastry bottom crispier.

Heat the cream in a small pan until nearly boiling. Remove from the heat and rest for a minute before pouring in your chocolate. Stir until melted and smooth, and then add the remaining sugar and the butter.

Pour the chocolate mixture over the pears.  Let cool and refrigerate for 30 minutes.   Enjoy!

Heavenly chocolate with crispy pear.  Oh my Lord!  I am too quick to cut it across, can’t wait!!!

This is one cut after it has been set. 



Onion Pie

This is my first savory pie, inspired by a friend raising its own bees,  growing onions and other kinds of organic food.  Thanks Doug for the recipe.  Instead of making my own pastry, I took ready made puff pastry.  It is very easy to make, delight the taste bud and fill up the stomach.

Puff pastry                        3 onions        butter for cooking onion
1 tablespoon flour               3 eggs
75g cream                         100g gorgonzola (cubed)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line the puff pastry on 2 7-inch / 18cm pie pan

Cook onion slowly until very soft (25 minutes)

Stir in flour and turn off the heat.  Mix in the cubed cheese

Whisk eggs with cream and add to the onion mixture

Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg

Bake at 200°C for about 20 minutes

Serve warm

Red Wine Pear Chocolate Tart (Tarte Borguinione)

Unfinished red wine, happy mood led to the trial of Tarte Borguinione (Red Wine Pear Chocolate Tart, my interpretation) from Eric Lanlard.   Well, with my own adaptation: poaching the pears with red wine without water, reducing half of the cocoa for the filling, making big and smaller tart.

To make the tart base, go for 200g flour, 100g butter, 2 teaspoon sugar and 3 tablespoon water. Skillful baker knows the way ……

Three big pears were halved (my way, else the liquid won’t cover them) and poached in 200ml red wine, 250g sugar and 1 stick cinnamon for 10 minutes.  Then let it cool down and stay in the liquid overnight.

The filling is simply a mixture of:

125g unsalted butter, softened
95g caster sugar
3 eggs
125g ground almond
55g of pure cocoa powder
Apricot jam, sieved, to glaze

Steps are creaming the butter and sugar until pale yellow.  Then add the eggs one by one.  Mix well.  Fold in the almond and cocoa powder. 

Pour the mixture into the tart base.

Cut the pear across to lay them onto the mixture or cut them on the long side to make a fan.  I did it both ways.  The previous is easier and quick but the latter more elegant (my opinon).  It’s your choice. 

Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30-40 minutes.  Sieve apricot jam and bush it on the sliced pears.  Best if it’s eaten nicely warm.  Superb with coffee!

Spiced Pear Frangipane Tart

 
Mum’s church friends would visit.  She wanted to serve them food and homemade bakery.  I thought of this as a twist of the pear almond tart.  More work on incorporating spices and citrus zest.  It could be nice.  Why not? 

The kitchen was filled with the fragrance of the cooking pears.  Spices and citrus delighted the nose and lightened the heart.  The release of the almond butter flavours during the baking is divine.  So relaxed!  The taste, so good. 

Mum’s friends finished 70% of the tart.  I could enjoy a tiny bit only. 

Here are the tart base ingredients:

200g flour     2 tsp caster sugar
100g cold butter, cut into pieces           
1 pinch of salt

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until it’s like crumb.

Add 3 tablespoon water and knead to form a ball.  Press flat to form a disc.  Wrap and refrigerate it for 1 hour.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to slightly larger than a 25 cm tart tin.  Place the pastry carefully to fill the tart tin.  Chill until it is firm.

Prick the pastry all over. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 20-25 minutes.

Poached pears
60g caster sugar                           
3-4 pears
1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon       
3 teaspoon cloves
1/2 lemon                     
orange zest of one orange
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Put the cinnamon, sugar and 500ml water in a saucepan and cook over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.  Add peeled pears, cinnamon and cloves.  Add vanilla essence, lemon juice, half lemon and orange zest.  Add some more water to just cover the pears.

Lay a circle of baking paper on top of the pears. Weigh down with a saucer or small saucepan lid so that the pears stay submerged in the poaching liquor. Simmer for 20 minutes. Move the pears to a plate and let cool.

Slice the pears for later use.

Frangipane
100g butter, softened        
80g caster sugar
2 eggs                             
100g ground almonds         
2 tbsp plain flour  

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, one at a time, then fold in the ground almond and flour.

Fill the tart base with the frangipane. Lay the sliced pears on top in any desired patterns. Bake in a preheated over at 190°C for 20-25 minutes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Tart

I made this lovely tart at Milan on 6 September 2010.  It was served after a sumptuous dinner of fennel orange salad in lime dressing, pfifferlinge (German, yellow mushroom) pasta with a white wine from Gavi (Piemonte).  3 of us finished 75% in one go.  It’s gorgeous!  The tart base is made of cocoa, lovely bitter chocolate fragnance.  The pumpkin filling is spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger.  It is a wonderful match.   My friends were happy with the main dish and the dessert.   Super nice!

I steamed the pumpkin to get it soft.  This is quicker and saves energy relative to baking it in the oven. 

Chocolate crust
160g flour
40g cocoa
100g cold butter, cut into pieces
2 tsp caster sugar
1 pinch of salt
4 tablespoon water

Sieve the dry ingredient and mix with butter until crumbs form.  Add water to knead it lightly to form a disc.  Refrigerate it for half hour.   Roll out the dough and put it in a 23cm tart form.  Refrigerate it for another half hour.  Pierce the tart with a fork.

Bake at 190C for 15 minutes.  Spread 3/4 chopped chocolated on the bottom of the tart base once taken out from the oven.

Pumpkin filling
370g pumpkin puree
48g derm sugar
70g milk  
100g cream
1 tspn ginger powder and fresh ginger
1/2 tspn cinnamon
1/2 tspn nutmeg
30g chopped dark chocolate

Blend everything except the chocolate.   Pour it into the tart base.  Sprinkle chopped chocolate on top the way as you like it.   Bake for around 30 minutes.  It’s done.

Pear Almond Tart

Friends and their lovely princess, Jayci, visited today.   Nice homemade food was a must.   My beloved pear almond tart (from Laura Washburn) was served.  It’s a 9-inch tart.  The base was buttery and flaky.  Little Jayci loved it and so did her parents, my family.  80% has gone within 15 minutes.  So quick!

Wanna see Jayci?  Here you go!

Chocolate Pumpkin Tart

I am a pumpkin lover.  My favourite is pumpkin soup.  Either sage or thyme adds complementary favour to the soup. Pumpkin chicken rice is easy and heavenly good.  Autumn and winter is pumpkin season.  How can a hearty pumpkin tart be missed out?  The spices make it superb.  Oh, the chocolate hearts recall sweet memories.

Hearty Chocolate Pumpkin Tart

A sweet pastry tart base  

Pumpkin filling

340g pumpkin puree                             56g brown sugar
1 teaspoon ginger powder                     1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon clove powder                    1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
170g unsweetened evaporated milk         Chocolate Chips

• In a big bowl, mix all your filling ingredients except the chocolate chips, till nicely combined
• Pour the filing to the tart base
• Place the chocolate chips on top and assemble heart shapes
• Bake the tart for about 40-50 minutes.
• Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for a couple of hours or up to a day before serving.