Caramelized Pear Tart

Starting my blogging marathon # 9 with Srivalli with a bang :)
Verge has got the better of me, again and this time some homegrown pears given to us by a friend was a recipe in the making – The luscious pictures in the book were calling out to me. OF the 6 or more pear recipes I decided on the tart –

Now who knew that making the pastry base was such a long and rather complicated process not to mention super highly caloric – I really had no idea! I thought it was like any other dough for breads – Mais non,mes amies, it is an overnight process!

I made it nevertheless, following his instructions to a T – But since then I have scoured the web and found far easier and less caloric ways of making pastry dough – Pardonez moi, Mr Verge, I mean no offense when I say that we have to wean ourselves away from those huge amounts of butter!

The recipe for the pear preparation resulted in exquisite, perfect tasting caramelized pears – mama mia!

Without much further ado, I present to you Mr.Verge’s Caramelized Pear Tart  - Ingredients and preparation instructions have been give verbatim from the book!

PUFF PASTRY
This is the most complicated dough to prepare(Verge) (so I, Priya a novice baker is not the only one)You cannot use a food processor. Everything must be done by hand, with care and precision. But in the end, what lightness, what crispiness-what a delight!
(Sorry I could not photograph the entire process since i was too flustered and buy getting my pastry to work)

INGREDIENTS- YIELD: THREE 3-INCH TARTS
2 ½ cups sifted flour, plus extra for flouring work surface
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound butter: 
7 tablespoons for binding and the rest for the butter layer, chilled1 cup cold water

Preparation

• Bind the dough with water. 
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt. Form a hole in the middle and fill it with the cold water and 7 tablespoons of slightly softened butter, cut into pieces. 
• Blend rapidly with your fingers. Form a ball of dough and shape it into a square. 
• With a knife score the top with a grid pattern. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Work the butter. 
• On a lightly floured board, roll out the rest of the butter into a 3 x 6-inch rectangle. 
• Add a little flour to the rolling pin as needed. Refrigerate. For everything to work well, the dough and butter must be the same temperature. 
• Combine the dough and butter. 
• On a floured pastry board, roll out the dough until you have a rectangle that is about 8 x 12 inches. 
• Now place the butter rectangle in the center. Fold the edges of the dough completely over the butter, starting with the long sides and then the short sides, pressing the edges of the dough together. 
• Roll out this package until you have a new rectangle measuring approximately 20 inches in length and 8 inches in width. 
• Fold it into thirds, folding back and under the short edges. 
• Turn the board a quarter turn. Roll the dough out again until you have a rectangle of the same size. Again fold into thirds. 
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Repeat the above steps twice: roll out the dough, fold into thirds, let rest. Refrigerate at least 45 minutes or overnight, if desired. Just before using the dough, repeat the steps one more time. 
• Finish. 
• Cut the amount you need. Roll out to the desired dimension. Wrap the leftover dough; it will keep for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Caramelized Pear Tart
This recipe will remind you of a traditional tarte tatin. Have you ever tried to make one with pears? Personally, I almost prefer the pear variation. If you want to stick to tradition, replace the pears with pippin apples and the pear brandy (which is optional) with Calvados

Ingredients

4 ripe pears

Juice of one lemon

2 tablespoons pear brandy (optional)

5 tablespoons butter

½ cup sugar

1/3 recipe puff pastry or short pastry dough

Equipment

cast-iron skillet with high sides, or any frying pan 9 ½ -10 inches in diameter with a heatproof handle.

Preparation

1.Peel the pears. Slice into 6 sections and remove the core and the stems. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and brandy.

2.Preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit

3.Melt the butter in the skillet. Add the sugar, stirring, and remove from the heat when the mixture is smooth. Arrange the pear slices in the pan, forming a circle with their tips toward the center.

4.Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until the pears are completely coated with the caramelized sugar.

5.In the meantime, roll out the dough into a circle equal in diameter to the pan. Prick with a fork. Once the pears are caramelized, remove the pan from the oven and cover with the dough, taking care to seal or fold along the sides. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the crust is a beautiful golden color.

6.Remove the pan from the oven. Gently heat for 1 minute on the stove. Shake gently to make sure that the fruit is not sticking to the bottom. Wearing cooking mitts, turn a plate over onto the crust; in one quick movement, flip the pan over. The caramelized fruit should now appear on top. Serve warm. 

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