Sunday, November 20, 2005
Pear and Frangipane Crostata
This recipe comes from the December 2004 issue of Bon Appetit. The crostata is elegant and delicious--and a snap to make. Serve it at a dinner party and guests won't believe how easy it was!
Ingredients:
5 oz. almond paste, crumbled (about 3-3/4 inches of a 5-1/2-inch log)
3 T. butter, room temperature
2 T. flour
1 large egg
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
3 large firm but ripe Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored, cut into 1/3-inch slices
5 T. sugar, divided
1/2 c. black raspberry vinegar or raspberry vinegar
Crushed pink peppercorns
Step-by-step:
1. Finely grind almond paste in a food processor. Add softened butter, flour, and egg; blend until smooth.
2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out puff pastry on floured surface to 13-by-11-inch rectangle. Fold 3/4 inch of edges over; press to adhere to make a 11-1/2-by-9-1/2-inch rectangle. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Pierce surface evenly with fork, avoiding folded edges.
3. Spread almond paste mixture evenly over crust within folded edges. Arrange pear slices atop filling, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with 1 T. sugar. Bake until crust is deep golden and pears are tender, about 38 minutes. Cool slightly.
4. While tart is cooling, 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 6 minutes. Be careful not to burn syrup.
5. Place tart on platter. Drizzle syrup over top in a decorative style (lengthwise zig-zags look very pretty). Sprinkle lightly with peppercorns and serve warm.
Labels: desserts
