Bittersweet Chocolate And Pear Pie Recipes

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE AND PEAR TART

Steps:

• Whisk together the melted butter, sugar and salt. Add flour and ground almonds and stir until it feels like damp sand. Press dough evenly along bottom and halfway up the sides of an 8-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom. Use waxed paper or buttered fingers to even out and press dough tightly into the corners. Prick crust all over with a fork and chill while you preheat oven to 350 degrees about 30 minutes. Set pan on a baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown, about 25 minutes.
• While crust bakes, bring milk, agave and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Let it sit for about 2 minutes without stirring. Starting in the middle of bowl, whisk chocolate together until evenly melted and the mixture a smooth and shiny dark brown.
• Fan pear slices around bottom of the tart shell in one even layer. Whisk beaten egg into the chocolate filling and pour filling over pears and crust. Decrease oven temperature to 300 degrees and return tart to oven; bake until filling is set but still a little wiggly in the center third, about 15 minutes. Remove and cool tart completely on a rack at room temperature. Remove tart from pan sides and carefully transfer to a platter. Slice and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

PEARS IN CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Leave stems on peeled pears. Sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning. Set aside.
• In a saucepan large enough to accommodate 4 pears standing upright, combine water and sugar. Place over medium heat, and boil until sugar is dissolved. Stir in vanilla, then place the pears in. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to cool in liquid, then drain.
• In the top of a double boiler, combine chocolate, cream and butter. Heat, stirring, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in coffee liqueur.
• Place pears on serving dish, pour chocolate sauce over pears, and garnish with maraschino cherries.

PEAR AND CHOCOLATE TART

Steps:

• Place the water and lemon juice in a saucepan. Peel the pears, cut them in half and core them. As each is peeled and cored, place it in the saucepan, just covered with water.
• Add one-half cup of the sugar, bring to a simmer and cook gently about 10 minutes, until the pears are just tender. Drain the pears and place them on several thicknesses of paper towel to continue draining.
• Melt the chocolate over hot water or in a microwave oven. Beat in the butter a tablespoon at a time, then beat in the eggs.
• Mix one-third cup of the hazelnuts or almonds with the flour and the remaining sugar and stir into the chocolate mixture.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Sprinkle the remaining hazelnuts or almonds over the bottom of the baked tart shell. Cut each pear half into four thick slices and arrange the slices close together in the tart shell. Spread the chocolate mixture over the pears.
• Bake 30 minutes. Serve warm or cooled to room temperature with whipped cream on the side.

CHOCOLATE-AND-PEAR PIE

Steps:

• For the Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl (or in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), whisk together butter, egg yolk, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Stir in flour to combine, then knead mixture with your hands a few times to form a soft, pliable dough.
• Press dough evenly into bottom and up sides of a standard 9-inch pie dish. Refrigerate until firm, at least 20 minutes or, covered, up to 1 day.
• For the Filling: In a large bowl (or mixer fitted with paddle attachment), whisk together butter, 3/4 cup sugar, eggs and egg white, vanilla, salt, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and cocoa until thick and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in flour just to combine, then chocolate and ginger.
• Peel, halve, and core pears, then immediately toss in a bowl with lemon juice (to prevent browning). With flat sides facing down, slice pears lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices, and fan out slices slightly (like a hand of playing cards) but do not separate. Arrange slices from one half of the pear in a single layer on the bottom of the chilled crust.
• Pour brownie batter into crust, smoothing top with an offset spatula. Arrange remaining sliced-and-fanned pear halves on top of batter. Drizzle with remaining lemon juice from bowl (you should have about 2 teaspoons).
• Stir together remaining 2 teaspoons sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over pears. Bake until pie is puffed and set along edges but still slightly wobbly in center, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool on a wire rack until no longer hot, about 30 minutes. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature, with ice cream.

RUSTIC PEAR TART

Steps:

• To prepare the crust, in a medium bowl whisk together the whole-wheat pastry flour, all- purpose flour, granulated sugar and salt. Add the butter and using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until you get a pebbly, course texture. In a small bowl combine the buttermilk and ice water. Using a fork, gradually mix the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture. Pat the dough into a 4-inch round and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, and prepare the filling. Peel the pears, core them and cut into 1/4-inch slices. In a large bowl toss the pear slices with the lemon juice. Sprinkle in the cornstarch, brown sugar and cinnamon and toss until the pears are evenly coated. Set aside.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a large circle about nine inches in diameter. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and draping the dough over the rolling pin, transfer to the prepared baking sheet. If the dough breaks at all patch it up with your fingers.
• Arrange the pears in a mound in the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch boarder. Fold the border over the filling. It will only cover the pears partially and does not need to be even.
• Bake the tart for 15 minutes, and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, keeping the tart in the oven all the while, and bake for another 40 minutes, until the pears are tender and the crust is golden brown.
• In a small bowl stir together the honey and boiling water to make a glaze. When the tart is done remove it from the oven and brush the honey glaze all over the top of the fruit and crust. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly. Cut into 6 wedges and serve warm or a room temperature.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
• Melt chocolate in a metal bowl set over barely simmering water, stirring. Remove from heat.
• Roll out dough into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang under and press against rim of pie plate, then crimp decoratively.
• Spread chocolate in bottom of pie shell with back of spoon and let it set, then cover with pecans.
• Whisk together eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl, then whisk in corn syrup and pour over pecans.
• Bake pie until filling is puffed and crust is golden, 50 to 60 minutes. (If pie is browning too fast after 30 minutes, loosely cover with foil.) Cool pie on a rack to warm or room temperature. Serve with whipped cream.

PEAR CHOCOLATE PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F (205°C).
• Combine flour, 5 tbs sugar and salt in large bowl; cut in butter and work until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Stir in enough water with fork just until flour is moistened.
• Shape dough into ball; flatten slightly.
• Roll out ball of dough on lightly floured surface into 12-inch circle.
• Fold into quarters.
• Place dough into 9-inch pie pan; unfold, pressing firmly against bottom and sides.
• Trim crust to 1/2 inch from edge of pan.
• Crimp or flute edge.
• Fill unbaked pie crust with dry beans and cook in preheated oven for 15-20 min or until done.
• Bring cream to a boil and mix in chopped chocolate.
• Stir until chocolate melted and the mixture smooth.
• Add vanilla extract.
• Bring water and 5 tbs sugar to a boil and add pears.
• Let simmer for 10 minutes.
• Slice pears.
• Line the bottom of pie with pears, cover with chocolate cream.
• Let cool completely before serving.
• Note: with the remaining pastry dough you could shape leavs or hearts to decorate the finished pie.