Dayrecipe Food Community

Betty Caldwell was Gourmet’s production director for many years. She has an avid interest in cooking and gave us this recipe, which became an instant holiday classic.

Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr (includes making pastry)

Makes 8 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 large firm-ripe bosc pears (2 lb total)
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• pastry dough

DIRECTIONS Peel and halve pears, the core (preferably with a melon-ball cutter). Heat butter in a 9- to 10-inch well-seasoned cast-iron skilletover moderate heat until foam subsides, then stir in sugar (sugar will not be dissolved). Arrange pears, cut sides up, in skillet with wide parts at rim of skillet. Sprinkle pears with cinnamon and cook, undisturbed, until sugar turns a deep golden caramel. (This can take as little as 10 minutes or as much as 25, depending on pears, skillets, and stove.) Cool pears completely in skillet.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 12-inch round and trim to a 9 1/2- to 10 1/2-inch round. Arrange pastry over caramelized pears, tucking edge around pears inside rim of skillet. Bake tart until pastry is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Cook on rack 5 minutes.

Invert a rimmed serving plate (slightly larger than skillet) over skillet and, using pot holders to hold skillet and plate tightly together, invert tart onto plate. Serve tart warm or at room temperature.

Sandra Hersh of Groton, Massachusetts, writes: “A wonderful dinner with out-of-town friends at Mamma Maria, in the North End of Boston, was topped off with an outstanding chocolate hazelnut tart. It was a perfect finish to a great evening. I know the pastry chef would be happy to share the recipe.”

This impressive-looking tart is easy because the crust is pressed into the pan rather than rolled out. The pastry chef at Mamma Maria serves it with candied hazelnuts and a chocolate sauce.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 4 hr

Makes 10 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• for tart shell
• 1/2cup hazelnuts, toastedand any loose skins rubbed off in a kitchen towel, then cooled completely
• 1cup all-purpose flour
• 3tablespoons sugar
• 1/2teaspoon salt
• 1/2stick (1/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1large egg
• 1teaspoon vanillafor chocolate filling
• 7oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2cup whole milk
• 1/4cup sugar
• 1/4teaspoon salt
• 2large egg yolks
• 1teaspoon vanilla
• 1cup crème fraîchespecial equipment:a 9- by 1-inch fluted round tart pan with removable bottom; pie weights or raw rice

DIRECTIONS Make tart shell:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Pulse hazelnuts with flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until finely ground (be careful not to grind to a paste), then add butter and pulse until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Add egg and vanilla and pulse just until mixture begins to clump.

Press dough evenly over bottom and up side of tart pan and chill 10 minutes. Line tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake in middle of oven until pale golden along rim, about 15 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until bottom and side are golden, about 10 minutes more. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

Make filling while shell cools:
Put chopped chocolate in a bowl. Bring milk, sugar, and salt to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, then pour milk over chocolate in bowl and let stand until chocolate is melted, about 1 minute. Whisk until smooth, then whisk in yolks and vanilla. Whisk in crème fraîche and pour into crust.

Bake tart in middle of oven until just set, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour, then bring to room temperature before serving.

Active time: 1 3/4 hr Start to finish: 2 3/4 hr (includes making pastry shell)

Makes 8 to 12 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 4cups fresh kumquats (1 1/2 lb with leaves; 1 lb without)
• 1cup water
• 2cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly toasted
• 2/3cup ricotta
• 1/3cup sour cream
• 1(12- to 13-inch) baked sweet tart shellspecial equipment:an electric coffee/spice grinder

DIRECTIONS Thinly slice kumquats crosswise with a sharp knife, discarding seeds.

Bring water and 2 cups sugar to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then simmer syrup, uncovered, 5 minutes. Stir in kumquats and simmer gently 10 minutes. Drain and cool kumquats in a sieve set over a bowl, then return drained syrup to pan and boil until reduced to about 11/3 cups, 3 to 5 minutes.

Finely grind fennel seeds in coffee/spice grinder, then transfer to a bowl and whisk together with ricotta, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and a pinch of salt just until ricotta is slightly smoother. Whisk in sour cream until just combined and spread evenly over bottom of tart shell.

Arrange kumquats as evenly as possible over ricotta using your fingers or a small spoon, separating slices as necessary with a skewer, then brush kumquats with some of reduced syrup.

Remove side of tart pan.

Cooks’ notes:
• Kumquats can be candied 1 day ahead and chilled in syrup (before reducing), covered. Warm mixture before proceeding.
• Ricotta filling can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• Tart can be assembled 2 hours ahead and kept at room temperature.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 2 3/4 hr (includes chilling)

Makes enough dough for 1 (10-inch) tart shell.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
• 1/4teaspoon salt
• 2to 4 tablespoons ice waterspecial equipment:a pastry or bench scraper; a 10- by 1-inch round tart pan with a removable fluted rim; pie weights or raw rice

DIRECTIONS Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 2 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in processor) until incorporated.

Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn’t hold together, add more ice water, 1/2tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until just incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork mixture, or pastry will be tough.)

Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion. Gather dough together with scraper and press into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

Roll out dough with a floured rolling pin into a 14-inch round on a lightly floured surface, then fit into tart pan. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang inward and press against side of pan to reinforce edge. Lightly prick bottom and sides of shell with fork. Chill 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake in middle of oven until pastry is set and golden, about 12 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until golden all over, 5 to 10 minutes more. Cool shell in pan on a rack.

Cooks’ note:
• Dough can be chilled up to 1 day.

Frangipane is a classic pastry filling made with ground almonds. Here, pistachios are used instead.

Makes 8 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• crust
• 1 1/4cups all purpose flour
• 1/3cup sugar
• 1/4teaspoon salt
• 6tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3tablespoons (or more) ice water
• 1large egg yolk

  filling

• 1/2cup plus 2 tablespoons shelled natural unsalted pistachios (about 3 ounces)
• 1/4cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2teaspoons grated orange peel
• 1/8teaspoon baking powder
• 3tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1large egg
  1 1/2pounds peaches (about 4 large), peeled, halved, pitted, each half cut into 4 slices
  3tablespoons strained apricot jam

DIRECTIONS For crust:

Mix flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, cut in until coarse meal forms. Add 3 tablespoons ice water and egg yolk; process until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if mixture is too dry. Gather dough into ball and flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Fold in overhang and press, forming double-thick sides. Chill 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line crust with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake crust until light brown around edges, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake crust until golden brown, about 15 minutes longer. Cool 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

For filling:

Process 1/2 cup pistachios, 1/4 cup sugar, orange peel, and baking powder in processor until nuts are finely ground, scraping down sides occasionally. Add butter and egg; process until blended. Spread frangipane evenly over bottom of crust.

Toss peaches with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in large bowl to coat. Arrange peach slices, rounded side down, in concentric circles atop frangipane, pushing slightly to adhere. Bake until frangipane is puffed and golden in center, about 55 minutes. Cool tart to room temperature.

Melt apricot jam in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Brush warm jam over peaches. Chop remaining 2 tablespoons pistachios and sprinkle over top. Cut tart into wedges and serve.