RECIPE

103 Haunted Halloween 
In this spooky episode, Pope Vickers gets an earful of ghost stories at Fort Henry in Kingston, and Deborah McGloine checks out Rosemount Inn, part of Kingston’s Ghost Walk.  In the kitchen, Chana Faye prepares pear tarts with apricot sauce, and Tony Louise discusses dessert wines.

Apricot Glazed Pear Tartlets

Ingredients: 
Pear halves 
Franzipan Filling (below)
Glaze Puff Pastry 
Apricot Jam glaze
Slivered Almonds
Calvados Liquor (apple flavored) 

Franzipan Filling:
7oz tube almond paste
4 eggs, separated, plus 1 egg white
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 tbl flour
3 tbl sugar

In food processor or with a hand mixer, mix all ingredients except the 5 egg whites.  In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Fold the whites into the almond mixture until just mixed; You can use this filling for the pear tarts and many other pastries to give them an almond taste.

Tartlets

(1)  Make a cardboard cut-out in the shape of a pear.  Roll out your puff pastry, and cut pear shapes out of the puff pastry slightly larger than your pear cut-out.  The idea is that the pastry is to puff around the pear while it bakes, creating an "enveloping" affect around the pear.  Place cut-outs on a greased baking sheet.

(2) Place a pear half (hollow side down) on a cutting surface. Slice your pear into thin strips (leaving the basic shape of the pear intact).

(3)  Place a spoonful of Franzipan filling on top of the pastry cutout.  Using a spatula, carefully lay the sliced pear on the pastry and filling and slightly "fan" the strips of pear across the pastry.  Sprinkle sugar and nutmeg over the pear.

(4)  Bake at 400 degree oven until pastry is golden and puffed.

(5) Heat jam until bubbly, remove from heat, add some liquor to flavor, then strain the jam. Using a pastry brush, brush a thin layer of the glaze over the entire pear, making sure the sides are covered also.  

(6)  Pick up the pear tart and pack the sides with chopped almonds.  (You can use any kind of nut.)  The nuts should only be on the edges of the tart.  Serve warm!!

Back To Series Titles