Persimmon Tart Food

PERSIMMON TART

Steps:

• Pastry: Pulse flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size pieces remaining. Add egg yolks; pulse until no dry flour remains but dough is still crumbly (do not overmix, or pastry will be tough). Shape dough into a flat disk; wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to a 12-inch round (a scant 1/4 inch thick). Transfer to an 11-by-1-inch fluted tart pan; trim flush with edges. Prick dough all over with the tines of a fork. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake until crust is dry and golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
• Filling: Meanwhile, thoroughly clean and dry persimmons; remove tops and cores. Coarsely chop and press through a medium-mesh sieve or chinois strainer, or process through a food mill, discarding any solids left behind. (You should have 1 3/4 cups.)
• In a small saucepan, combine cream, cinnamon, star anise, clove, cardamom, and peppercorns. Bring to a bare simmer over medium-high heat. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand 1 hour. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl (discarding solids). Whisk in persimmon purée, brown sugar, whole eggs and yolks, ginger, nutmeg, and salt until smooth. Transfer filling to cooled crust.
• Bake until filling is puffed slightly and set along edges but still wobbly in the center (it will continue to set as it cools), 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely on wire rack, about 2 hours. Transfer to a cake plate or stand. Sprinkle top evenly with half of granulated sugar, and wave a kitchen torch over sugar until it's golden brown. Let cool until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining granulated sugar. Lightly dust edges of tart with confectioners' sugar; serve.

APPLE AND PERSIMMON TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Melt butter in 11" skillet over medium heat, brushing sides of skillet with butter as it melts. Sprinkle sugar evenly over bottom of skillet and scrape in vanilla seeds; save pod for another use. Cook, undisturbed, until sugar is evenly moistened, about 1 minute. Stir in salt and 1 Tbsp. brandy, then remove pan from heat.
• Arrange as many apples as fit, rounded side down, in a tightly packed circle around outside edge of skillet; reserve remaining apples. Fill in center with persimmons, rounded side down. Cook over medium heat until juices begin to bubble, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking (as apples cook, they will shrink; nudge remaining raw apples into gaps, reserving any extra pieces for another use) until apples are tender and caramel is a deep golden color, 35-40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place rack in center of oven; preheat to 400°F. Set skillet on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips.
• Gently roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface and smooth out creases. Cut into a round that will fit snugly and flush inside skillet. Drape puff pastry over apples. Bake until pastry is puffed and golden brown, 30-35 minutes.
• Transfer skillet to a wire rack and let stand until bubbling caramel subsides, about 5 minutes. Gently run a butter knife around edges of skillet, then invert a platter with lip over skillet. Using pot holders to hold skillet and platter tightly together, invert tart onto platter. Using a table knife or rubber spatula, press any fruit that sticks to skillet onto tart, then brush any excess caramel in skillet over tart. Let cool at least 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream to medium peaks in a large bowl, then fold in remaining 1 tsp. brandy. Serve tart with whipped cream.