Dessert: Pear Tart

Yesterday found me busy making a great little rack of lamb for dinner. And for dessert, this super-simple pear tart. I am only including a picture of the pear because the finished dish tasted better than it looked in the photos! I guess I will blame the photographer -- whoops, that was me!

I've been thinking about flavored vinegars lately and the sauce, flavored with the remaining raspberry-balsamic vinegar in my pantry was a delicious counterpoint to the ripe pears resting on an almond-paste filling.

This terrific recipe was located on epicurious.com -- such a great resource. Next time I might make this as an appetizer with blue-cheese filling, pear and sliced onions.


Pear Crostata with Raspberry Vinegar Glaze

INGREDIENTS

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

5 ounces almond paste, crumbled
3 tablespoons butter at room temperature
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg

2-3 firm but ripe Bosc pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1/3 inch slices
5 tablespoons sugar, divided

1/2 cup raspberry vinegar

METHOD

Finely grind almond paste in food processor. Add softened butter, flour, and egg; blend until smooth.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out puff pastry on floured surface to approx. 13x11 rectable. Fold 3/4 inch of each edge over and press to adhere. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Pierce surface evenly with fork, avoiding folded edges. Spread almond paste mixture evenly over crust within folded edges. Arrange pear slices on top of filling, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Bake until pears are tender and crust is golden, approx. 35-40 minutes. Cool slightly.

Meanwhile, stir vinegar and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil until syrup is reduced to 1/4 cup, about six minutes.

Place tart on platter. Drizzle syrup over. Serve warm.

Soup's On: Cauliflower Soup

With a head of cauliflower in my refrigerator, I went to the epicurious web site for inspiration and found this terrific recipe for cauliflower soup.

It's delicious -- even people who don't like cauliflower will enjoy it. Just don't tell them the main ingredient!

I think that the bacon is the secret ingredient!



INGREDIENTS:

2 ounces applewood-smoked bacon (about 2 slices), chopped
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, chopped
6 cups 1-inch pieces cauliflower (cut from 1 large head)
3 1/2 cups - 4 cups chicken broth
1 3/4 inch cube Pecorino Romano cheese plus additional cheese shavings for serving
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
White or black truffle oil (for drizzling)

METHOD:

Saute bacon in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until golden brown and some fat renders. Add onion, celery, and garlic. Cover and cook until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Add cauliflower, 3 1/2 cups broth, and cheese cube. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until cauliflfower is tender, about 20 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in processor or blender. Return to same pan. Add cream and bring soup to simmer. Thin with more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if desired. Season with salt and pepper.