Poached Pear Tartlets With Brandy Sabayon Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Start the poaching liquid first. In large saucepan (to hold 4 pears)combine water, brandy, sugar, honey, marmalade and ginger. Bring to boil for one minute, stir and turn to simmer.
• 2. Wash and dry pears. Carefully core from the bottom, keeping pear intact and stem on. Put pears in simmering liquid and cover. Turn heat up slightly and set timer for 20 min. check pears after 20 minutes. They should feel slightly soft but intact. If too firm cook for 5-10 more minutes.
• 3. Remove pears from syrup with slotted spoon. Place into individual serving bowls that allow room for syrup. Let cool. Put dried fruit in with syrup and turn to medium heat. Set at low boil slowly for 5-10 minutes or until syrup thickens. Pour slowly over pears, dividing syrup between serving bowls. Let sit while you serve dinner or you can refrigerate if you want to serve them chilled. Delicious

Steps:

• Pears:Peel pears; transfer to a saucepan. Add wine, sugar, vanilla bean, orange juice and zest, cloves, and enough water to cover pears (2 to 3 cups). Top with a parchment round to keep pears submerged and bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until pears are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl; cover with poaching liquid. Let cool completely.
• Pie:On a lightly floured piece of parchment, roll out dough into a 13-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch tart pan. Trim dough flush with rim; lightly prick bottom with a fork. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees, with a rack in lower third. Arrange almonds on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until golden and fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely. Transfer to a food processor; add flour and salt and process until finely ground.
• Beat butter with sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; beat until combined. Add almond mixture; beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees. Line dough with parchment; fill with dried beans or rice. Bake until edges begin to turn golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove beans or rice and parchment; bake until bottom and sides are golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. (Crust can be made up to a day in advance and covered tightly in foil.)
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees; place a foil-lined baking sheet below rack. Spread crust with almond mixture; smooth top with an offset spatula. Working with one pear at a time, remove from poaching liquid; pat dry with a paper towel, then slice in half lengthwise, remove stem, remove core with a measuring teaspoon or a melon baller, and cut crosswise on a slight bias into 1/8-inch slices. Fan pear slices in a random pattern to completely cover top of frangipane. (You may not use them all.)
• Place tart pan directly on oven rack; bake until frangipane is golden, puffed, and just set, 50 minutes to 1 hour. (If crust is getting too dark, shield with a foil ring.) Transfer to wire rack; let cool completely, at least 4 hours.

Steps:

• Blend together flour, salt, butter, shortening, and 2 tablespoons sugar with your fingertips or a pastry blender in a large bowl (or pulse in a food processor, then transfer to a large bowl) just until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 1/2 cup ice water and gently stir with a fork until incorporated.
• Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until just incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork mixture, or pastry will be tough.)
• Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together with scraper and divide into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other, then flatten each into a 5- to 6-inch disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Peel, halve, and core pears. Cut pears into 1/4-inch dice, then stir together with remaining filling ingredients in a 3-quart heavy pot. Bring to a boil, stirring, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 10 minutes. Transfer filling to a shallow dish and cool to room temperature.
• Roll out smaller disk of dough into a 13-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, lifting up dough carefully and flouring surface as necessary to keep dough from sticking.
• Cut out as many rounds as possible (about 12) with 3 1/2-inch fluted cutter, transferring as cut to a wax-paper-lined baking sheet. Chill rounds until firm, about 10 minutes, before decorating. Gather dough scraps and chill 20 to 30 minutes, then reroll, cut, and chill additional 31/2-inch rounds (reroll scraps only once) for a total of 16.
• Cut out shapes from rounds with decorative cutters or a sharp paring knife, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edge, and reserve cutout pieces if desired for additional decoration. Brush tops lightly with milk. Lightly press reserved cutouts (if using) onto decorated pastry rounds and brush lightly with milk. Sprinkle remaining tablespoon sugar evenly over tops and chill while making bottoms.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Roll out larger disk of dough into a 15-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) on floured surface with floured rolling pin, lifting up dough carefully and flouring surface as necessary to keep dough from sticking. Cut out as many rounds as possible (about 12) with 4-inch cutter. Gather dough scraps and chill 20 to 30 minutes, then reroll and cut additional 4-inch rounds (reroll scraps only once) for a total of 16. Fit each 4-inch round into a tartlet pan (don't trim). Fill each tartlet with 3 tablespoons cooled filling and brush edge of pastry lightly with milk. Place decorated tops over filling in each tartlet, then press each top lightly around edge to help seal edges and trim pastry if necessary.
• Bake tartlets on a large baking sheet until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer tartlets to a rack and cool 10 minutes. To remove tartlets from pans, cover 1 hand with a folded kitchen towel and invert tartlets 1 at a time onto towel, reinverting them onto a platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.