Cranberry Pear Tart

Submitted by Jollygrinch

Here's my pictorial guide to making ... a Cranberry-Pear Tart in a Walnut Shortbread Crust... from the Oct/Nov 2005 fine Cooking.

Ingredients:

For the walnut shortbread crust

• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon half-and-half (I used cream)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6&3/4 ounces (1&1/2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• ? pound (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped

For the cranberry-pear filling

• 3 large ripe pears, sch as Anjou or Bartlett
• 2 cups fresh cranberries, picked through and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• ? teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt

For the buttery brown sugar streusel

• 1&3/4 ounce (1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon) unbleached all-purpose flour
• ? cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ? teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make the crust

• I got sloppy about taking pictures, sorry. Combine your dry ingredients in a food processor and combine your wet ones (excluding the butter) in a small bowl. Pulse to blend your dry stuff, then add the butter and pulse until it's all the size of peas or smaller. Then with the processor running, pour in the wet mix.

• Dump the mess into your tart pan and begin pressing the mix into the edges and corners. Pack it all down firm. Put it in the freezer for 10 minutes then into a 400 degree oven for 10-15 until the edges are golden brown. Don't worry if the bottom puffs up a bit, we'll push it down later. When the crust is out of the oven reduce it back down to 350.

• This is pre-bake:

Make the filling

• Peel, quarter, and core your pears. Slice them into ? inch slices. In the food processor coarsely chop the cranberries (I went a little too long in the picture). Mix the pears, cranberries and brandy together. In a small bowl mix the sugar, flour, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Mix the two bowls together before you add it to the tart.

Make the streusel

• Whisk your dry ingredients together:

• Add the butter and vanilla, mix with your hands until it's crumbly:

Assembly

• Pour the pear mixture into the tart, spread it evenly and pack it down:

• Scatter the topping:

• Bake at 350 until the fruit is tender, 50ish minutes.