Pear Croustade With Lemon Pastry And Almonds Recipes

Steps:

• For crust
• Mix flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter. Using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer to large bowl. Mix egg yolk and 1 1/2 tablespoons ice water in small bowl. Using fork, blend enough yolk mixture, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, into flour mixture to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Let soften slightly before rolling out.)
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to °F. Roll out dough on floured parchment paper to 10-inch round. Transfer dough on parchment paper to large baking sheet.
• For filling
• Toss pears, sugar, flour, lemon juice and allspice in large bowl. Overlap pear slices atop dough, leaving 2-inch border. Fold dough border over fruit, pleating loosely and pinching to seal any cracks. Brush dough with egg white. Drizzle cream over filling.
• For topping
• Mix flour and sugar in small bowl. Rub in butter with fingertips until mixture forms small clumps. Sprinkle topping over filling.
• Bake tart until crust is golden and filling bubbles, about 40 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to rack; cool slightly, about 15 minutes. Slide metal spatula under crust to free from parchment. Using large tart pan bottom as aid, transfer tart to platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Blend all ingredients in processor until clumps form, about 1 minute. Transfer to medium bowl. Cover and chill. (Do not clean processor bowl.)
• Combine both flours, hazelnuts, sugar and salt in same processor bowl. Blend until hazelnuts are finely chopped. Add butter and blend until coarse meal forms. Mix in 2 tablespoons ice water and process just until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap dough in plastic and chill 30 minutes. (Topping and dough can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Roll out dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper to 13-inch round, lifting paper, smoothing wrinkles and turning over as needed. Transfer dough on parchment paper to large unrimmed baking sheet. Remove top sheet of parchment.
• Combine pears, sugar and flour in large bowl; toss to coat.
• Mound pear mixture atop dough, leaving 2-inch border. Using parchment paper as aid, fold dough border over pears, pleating loosely and pinching to seal any cracks in dough. Sprinkle topping thickly over pears.
• Bake croustade until crust is golden, about 40 minutes. Cover very loosely with foil to prevent crust from over-browning and continue to bake until juices bubble thickly, about 12 minutes longer. Transfer baking sheet to rack; cool slightly. Slide metal spatula under crust to free from parchment. Using large tart pan bottom as aid, transfer croustade to platter. Serve warm with ice cream.

Steps:

• For pears:
• Bring 4 cups water, sugar, and lemon juice to boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add pears. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until pears are very tender, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool pears in syrup. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• For crust:
• Blend powdered sugar, almonds, and salt in processor until nuts are finely ground. Add butter and blend until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Mix in egg yolk. Add flour. Using on/off turns, blend until dough comes together in clumps. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 3 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• For almond filling:
• Finely grind almonds and flour in processor. Mix in 7 tablespoons sugar, then butter, blending until smooth. Mix in egg. Transfer filling to medium bowl. Cover and chill at least 3 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.)
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Roll out chilled dough on floured sheet of parchment paper to 12-inch round, lifting and turning dough occasionally to free from paper. Using paper as aid, turn dough into 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom; peel off paper. Seal any cracks in dough. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold overhang in, making double-thick sides. Pierce crust all over with fork. Freeze crust 10 minutes.
• Line crust with buttered foil, buttered side down, then fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake crust until sides are set, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake crust until sides are golden and bottom is set, pressing with back of fork if crust bubbles, about 10 minutes longer. Cool crust in pan on rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• Spread almond filling evenly in crust. Stem pears and cut each in half lengthwise; scoop out cores. Cut each half crosswise into thin slices. Gently press each pear half to fan slices but keep slices tightly overlapped. Slide spatula under pears and arrange atop filling like spokes of wheel with narrow ends in center.
• Bake tart until golden and tester inserted into center of filling comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool tart in pan on rack. Push pan bottom up, releasing tart from pan. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Cut tart into wedges; sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, and serve.