Poached Pears
6-7 Pears
3 cups water
1 cup sugar
2-3 Tbs lemon juice
1 cup Amaretto liqueur (or Grand Marnier, or Apricot/Peach Liqueur)
5 Tbs vanilla extract
cinnamon
Peel, core and halve the pears. In a large pot combine all other ingredients and bring to boil. Add the pears to the poaching liquid and simmer until the pears are soft and easily pierced with a knife. About 10-30mins. Leave the pears in the poaching liquid for a couple of hours or overnight.
French Almond Cream
60g unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup ground almonds
1 Tbs plain flour
1 Tsp vanilla
Add all ingredients to a bowl and beat until fluffy and thoroughly combined. Keep inn fudge until needed.
Tart
1 sheet of puff pastry
Slivered almonds
2-3 Tbs apricot jam
Preheat oven to 180C. Transfer the thawed puff pastry sheet into a tart mould and trim edges. Poke with a fork all around, to prevent it from puffing up in the oven. Place in freezer for about 10 minutes. Remove the tart from the freezer and bake until the tart is slightly golden, about 15-20 mins. Once out of the oven, allow it to completely cool. Fill tart with Almond Cream Mixture. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes. Slice pears and arrange about 3-4 cut up pears on top of the Almond Cream mixture. Sprinkle with almonds. Spray a piece of foil with non stick spray and gently cover the tart with it, sprayed side touching the tart. Put back in the oven and bake until the almond mixture is well risen all the way in the middle, about 45 mins. Then remove the foil and bake for another 10 mins allowing the top to brown up slightly. Once the tart is baked allow it to completely cool on the rack. Heat apricot jam until a liquid then apply it generously to the top of the tart with a brush.
Notes: The pears are delicious on there own as a dessert warmed with cream or ice cream.
The Almond Cream can be used a a french toast stuffing by sandwiching a heaped tablespoon of filling between 2 slices of bread. Soak the sandwich in an egg and sugar mixture. Cook on both sides over medium heat in a buttered skillet, until golden crust forms.
via: Let The Baking Begin
