Running late this morning. The traffic was at a standstill on Military Road. Then the train sat outside Central Station for ages. Have I mentioned how much I loathe working in Redfern??
Anyway, friends had me over for dinner on Saturday night and I made this really yummy dessert, which comes from the delicious magazine calendar for June 2005. I love pears and this one is easy to make and looks impressive. For best results it looks great in a long rectangular tart tin, but you could make it in a round one if that is all you have. Make sure you use a tin with a removeable base to make serving the tart easier.
Have a good week!
Love from Jane
Pear And Ginger Tart
Allegedly serves four but I'd say whoever thinks that didn't serve a main course first. More like six to eight in my experience.
What you need:
250g packet ginger nut biscuits
125g unsalted butter, melted
175g caster sugar
3 firm pears (Beurre Bosc if available)
450ml thickened cream
1 tbs Poire William liqueur (optional)
1 tbs icing sugar
3 tbs good quality caramel sauce, to serve
6 almonds, skin on, sliced
What you do:
Crush the biscuits in a food processor and mix with melted butter.
Use the biscuit mixture to line the base and sides of an 11cm by 25cm rectangular, loose bottomed tart tin, pressing down firmly.
Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or overnight).
Place the sugar in a saucepan and add 2 cups of water. Stir over a low heat to dissolve the sugar.
Peel the pears and add to the sugar syrup, topping up with enough water to cover them.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and poach for ten minutes or until the fruit is cooked. Allow to cool in the syrup.
When ready to serve, remove the pears from the syrup. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
Remove the cores and slice the pears thinly lengthways. Lay the slices on the biscuit base, slightly overlapping.
Beat together the cream, icing sugar and liqueur if using. Spread over the pears and drizzle with caramel sauce. Sprinkle over the almonds.
