Fall has dropped down on the Midwest like a boulder. Don’t get me wrong, I love fall, and I love fall flavors and colors. I just like to ease into the cooler weather, like a luxurious hot bath–versus a cold shower. This year, the season’s change is very much like a cold shower. One way to ease the shock is by baking yummies. So I am sharing one of my favorite tarts that uses a perfect combo of rosemary, hazelnuts and pears. Rosemary is an herb that develops into wonderful complexities when paired with sweet desserts. The plant itself can tolerate cooler temperatures, too, making it an ideal add-in to many fall dishes and sweets. This is a perfect herb to keep around on your porch into Thanksgiving, similar to sage and thyme. Many other woodsier herbs can keep their wits about them in the cooler months, unlike basil and cilantro, which wilt at the first 54-degree day.
Your kitchen will smell amazing, and the oven will warm up the house, Grab a book, a sweater, a cup of tea, and a blanket while you wait, then cut yourself a slice and take a deep sigh. Baking therapy is on the way. You’re welcome.
Rosemary Pear Hazelnut Frangipane Tart
adapted from epicurious.com
Ingredients:
Tart Shell
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold butter, cut into 1 ” slices
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening
3 to 5 tablespoons of ice water
Special equipment: a pastry or bench scraper; an 11- by 1- inch fluted round tart pan with a removable bottom
Pears
3 Bosc pears (if they are not ripe, keep them in a paper bag on the counter for 3-5 days before using)
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons of Frangelico liquor
2 Tbsp. water
dash of salt
2 sprigs, 3-4 inches long of fresh rosemary for infusing
Filling
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted (I do this in a pan on the stovetop), loose skins rubbed off in a kitchen towel and cooled
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) butter, softened
2 large eggs, room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Directions:
Tart Shell:
First, make the tart shell, and let it cool down before moving to the filling. Blend together flour, sugar, salt, butter, and shortening in pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until most of the mixture resembles coarse meal with small butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 3-5 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough begins to come together. Only add enough water until this happens. Careful not to overwork this, or your crust will be tough.
Gather dough together and flatten into a disk. Place into the tart pan, and press and push the dough into the pan until it comes up the sides and you have an even bottom. Prick the bottom and sides with the tines of a fork. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes, and up to an hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake in the middle of the oven until pastry is very pale golden along the rim and set, 30-45 minutes. Place on a cooling rack to cool down. Keep the oven on for finishing.
Pears:
Meanwhile, macerate your pears. Peel, core, and slice the pears and put them in a bowl. Toss them with the water, Frangelico, sugar, chopped rosemary, and salt. Let sit for an hour or so. Then, drain the pears in a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the juices. place the juices in a pan. Add the rosemary sprigs to the pan juice, and over a medium flame get the juice to a rolling boil. Simmer for 15 minutes, until the juices are reduced to a bubbling glaze. Discard the rosemary sprigs. Keep the glaze warm.
Filling and Assembly:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Pulse hazelnuts with 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor until finely ground, then add flour and pulse to combine.
With a hand mixer, beat together butter and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in extracts. Reduce speed to low and mix in the nut mixture until just combined.
Spread frangipane filling evenly in tart shell. Next, arrange the drained pears decoratively on filling, fanning slices slightly. Start from the center and make a circle, and work outward concentrically. With a pastry brush, use the glaze you are keeping warm on the stovetop to cover the pears and crust. Bake until pears are golden and frangipane is puffed and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Brush pears and crust once again mid-way through baking. Cool tart completely in pan on a rack, then remove side of pan to serve.
Interested in more techniques, tips, and recipes around how to use herbs in sweet applications? Check out my books. My Savoring Sweet book is all about how to use herbs and florals in sweets. Buy my eBook and paperback on Amazon, and on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and iBooks! Thank you for your support.
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