Bosc pears poached in a berry wine, hazelnut custard, caramelized hazelnuts, and a wine syrup all look a little daunting when combined into one recipe. Broken down into steps over 2 days makes Dorie's pretty pear tart approachable. I did "start" on Tuesday so posting is late 'but' I am giving myself a pat on the back for still completing the recipe. The tart is just beautiful . . . and I made the full size.
Tuesday with Dorie's own Lauren of I’ll Eat You chose the Rosy Poached Pear and Pistachio Tart, pages 370 and 371 of "Baking From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan.
I learned a few new flavors and techniques in this one, all-inclusive recipe. First, I made a custard with chopped hazelnuts simmering in milk then processed to a custard stage. Next, a wine syrup was created for the pears, then reduced into a syrup, to be served with slices of the pear tart. The cooking world is never ending with new techniques, flavors and ideas. A love for learning in the kitchen can keep anyone occupied for a lifetime. A person can look at a list of ingredients in a recipe and think through the recipe, getting a mental flavor of the end product. I do this quite often, thinking a recipe will not be anything special but worth the learning experience. I have been fooled several times and these recipes become family favorites.
Dorie's wine poached pears may not be my family's must-have dessert but the tart is worthy of any dinner party. Thank you Karin for choosing such an intriguing recipe, widening my cooking world.
Marionberry wine from a small winery in Oregon, called Honeywood, was used for the pear poaching. The wine was so delicious (I had to take a sip to make sure the wine would be compatible with the recipe) that I went to Fred Meyers and ordered 2 more bottles to have for company as a dessert wine. Stores do not carry this wine for long because the winery makes small quantities.
I was worried about having orange and lemon zest flavors with a berry wine but the result was wonderful.
Making a caramel sauce for the hazelnuts may have been the easiest part of this recipe, except for trying to peel hot caramelized hazelnuts off my wooden spoon while trying to flatten the nuts on a silipat.
Definitely more pistachios on the silipat then needed but I am sure with all the Christmas baking, the leftovers will find a new home.
The tart was fun to assemble and looks beautiful. To get the recipe, go to Karin's site or buy Dorie Greenspan's wonderful cookbook.
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped pecans
1/2 cup white sugar for decoration
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, vegetable oil, 1 cup white sugar and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the pecans. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
What a great week so far!
