Pear Dartois Recipes

PEAR DARTOIS

Steps:

• Place sugar and 1 litre water in a wide saucepan that will fit the fruit snugly and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
• Peel pears from stalk downwards, then cut in half lengthways and remove seeds with a melon scoop. Add pears to the simmering syrup and increase the heat. Cover the surface directly with a round of baking paper, then place a plate on top to ensure the fruit stays submerged. Bring syrup to the boil, then reduce the heat to low so the syrup is just simmering and gently poach the pears until you can easily pierce the flesh with the tip of a knife (10-15 minutes). Cool pears in syrup (1 hour), covered with baking paper, then refrigerate in the syrup until needed. The pears will keep submerged in syrup for a week.
• For frangipane, pulverise almond meal in a food processor, then sieve. Combine with the icing sugar and set aside. Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and work the butter until smooth. Add the almond mixture and continue beating until very pale and fluffy. Add eggs and yolk, then flour and mix to combine. Makes 500gm. (You'll only need 150gm; remainder can be refrigerated for another use.)
• Roll 200gm puff pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 30cm x 13cm rectangle. Roll this around the rolling pin, then unroll it onto an oven tray lightly sprayed with cold water and prick the pastry with a fork. Using a spoon, spread 150gm frangipane along the length of the pastry, leaving a 2cm border on either side. Brush pastry borders with eggwash. Pat pear halves dry and arrange on the frangipane in alternating directions so they fit snugly head to toe.
• Roll remaining pastry into a 30cm x 16cm rectangle. Fold the pastry in half lengthways without applying pressure. Make incisions down the length of the pastry at roughly 4mm intervals with the heel of a chef's knife, leaving a 2cm strip intact on the two outside edges. Unfold the pastry into its original shape. Drape it over the rolling pin and unroll it onto the pears to cover. Lightly press the edges together with your fingertips and refrigerate the dartois for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 200C. Trim off about 3mm pastry along the length of the rectangle. Delicately and sparingly brush the top of the pastry with eggwash. Liberally brush the sides with more eggwash. With the tip of a small, sharp knife, make light, diagonal incisions in the borders, then along the edges and bake for 25 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 220C, dust the dartois with icing sugar and return it to the oven for 1-2 minutes, or place it under a hot grill for a few seconds, until beautifully glazed. Serve the dartois warm cut widthways into portions.

PEAR & HAZELNUT DARTOIS

Steps:

• Peel a broad strip of zest from the lemon and then juice the lemon. Put 1 tbsp juice, the zest, sugar, vanilla extract and 500ml water into a saucepan or sauté pan large enough to hold all the fruit in a single layer. Heat gently, stirring a little to help the sugar dissolve. Simmer for 4 mins then remove from the heat.
• Peel, halve and core the pears. Add them to a bowl with the remaining juice from the lemon. Heat the syrup again and gently poach the fruit, covered, for 15-20 mins until just tender. Test the pears with the tip of a sharp knife and remove the m with a slotted spoon as soon as they are ready. Lay them in a broad, flat container in a single layer. Allow the poaching syrup to cool slightly (for about 10 mins) then pour over the pears. Cover, then set aside in the fridge to cool completely.
• For the frangipane, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add half the egg (keep the rest for brushing the pastry), beating well after each addition. Stir in the nuts and the flour.
• Roll out 200g of the pastry to make a rectangle measuring 32cm x 14cm. Transfer to a metal baking sheet lightly brushed with a little oil and prick it all over with a fork. Spread the frangipane over the pastry leaving a 2cm border all around it. Lift the pears out of the syrup and pat dry with kitchen paper. Lay these horizontally in alternating directions along the pastry. Brush the borders with water.
• Roll out the rest of the pastry into a rectangle measuring 32cm x 17cm. Flour it lightly. Gently fold this over, lengthways, without pressing down. Make cuts horizontally through the fold at 4mm intervals, leaving a 2cm border around the open edge (as if you're making a paper lantern). Lay this on top of the pears, and unfold it to cover them. Lightly press together the pastry edges and put in your fridge for 30 mins. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Strain the poaching syrup and boil to reduce it by half.
• Trim off about 3mm of pastry all the way round to make the dartois neat. Mix the remaining beaten egg with the milk and use this to brush the pastry. Using the tip of a small sharp knife, make little diagonal markings all along the border. Bake for 25 -30 mins. Brush the tart with the reduced poaching syrup while it's still warm. Serve with crème fra îche or whipped cream. You can stir 2 tbsp of the poaching syrup into the whipped cream, if you like.