Pear And Marzipan Tartlets Food

PEAR, CHOCOLATE & MARZIPAN STRUDEL

Steps:

• Melt a knob of butter in a large frying pan, add the pears and 1 tbsp sugar, and cook for 5 mins. Tip into a bowl and leave to cool. Then add the Disaronno (if using), biscuits, cinnamon, chocolate, marzipan, and 2 tbsp sugar and mix well.
• Line a tray with baking parchment. Lay a sheet of filo on it, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with a little sugar. Top with a second sheet of filo and keep going until you've used all the pastry. Pile the filling down one of the long sides of the pastry, then roll it up to form a sausage. Make sure it is seam-side down, then tuck the ends under tightly. Roll up in the parchment, wrap tightly in foil and freeze.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put a tray in the oven to heat. Unwrap the strudel and place, seam-side down and still on its parchment, onto the tray. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle over 1 tbsp sugar. Bake for 35-40 mins, or until golden and crisp. Leave to cool for 10 mins, then dust with icing sugar.

MARZIPAN ECCLES TARTS

Steps:

• Mix the dried fruit, grated apple or pear, Demerara sugar, marzipan, cloves and cinnamon.
• Divide the pastry into 6. Then assemble tarts one by one. Halve a chunk of pastry and roll out each halve to a circle about the thickness of a 50p piece on a floured surface. Spoon a sixth of the filling into the centre of one circle in a pile. Brush edges with egg, and lift the second pastry circle on top. Gently press down on the fruit to push out as much air as you can. Press the pastry edges to seal. Use an appropriate sized bowl, glass etc to help you trim the edges to a neat circle. At this stage, you can cover and chill the tarts overnight, or freeze for 1 month. Defrost before continuing. Brush with beaten egg, then make three small slashes with a knife in a row. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling.
• Pop the tarts in the fridge while you heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. When the oven is nice and hot, brush tarts all over with egg and sprinkle each with a little more sugar. Bake for 20 - 25 mins, until golden, then eat warm with ice cream or custard.

PEAR AND HAZELNUT FRANGIPANE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Pulse hazelnuts with 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor until finely ground, then add flour and pulse to combine.
• Beat together butter and remaining 1/4 cup sugar with an electric mixer at moderately high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in extracts. Reduce speed to low and mix in nut mixture until just combined.
• Spread frangipane filling evenly in tart shell. Peel, halve, and core pears, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, holding slices together to keep pear shape intact. Arrange pears decoratively on filling, fanning slices slightly. Bake until pears are golden and frangipane is puffed and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Brush pears (not filling) with preserves and cool tart completely in pan on rack, then remove side of pan.