Pear tart with thyme, gorgonzola and walnuts

Name: Pear tart with thyme, gorgonzola and walnuts
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 4 firm corella pears (uncored and unpeeled), cut into 4mm slices lengthways, tossed in the juice of half a lemon; 3 tbsp brown sugar; 200ml verjuice; 30ml extra virgin olive oil; 15 grinds pepper; 6 sprigs thyme; 1/3 quantity of rough puff pastry (recipe ); 150g piece quality gorgonzola or Stilton; 100g quality walnuts, toasted and while warm tossed in extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper; 2 handfuls fresh salad greens, such as curly endive, witlof or watercress, to serve

Karen Martini

April 25, 2013

Pear tart with thyme, gorgonzola and walnuts - serve after dinner.Marina Oliphant

Time:1-2 hoursServes:6

This dish makes a great entree or appetiser, or it works well after the main meal as a cheese course. You will need a quantity of rough puff pastry (see method).

Ingredients

4 firm corella pears (uncored and unpeeled), cut into 4mm slices lengthways, tossed in the juice of half a lemon
3 tbsp brown sugar
200ml verjuice
30ml extra virgin olive oil
15 grinds pepper
6 sprigs thyme
1/3 quantity of rough puff pastry (recipe here)
150g piece quality gorgonzola or Stilton
100g quality walnuts, toasted and while warm tossed in extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper
2 handfuls fresh salad greens, such as curly endive, witlof or watercress, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced or 220C conventional.
2. In a medium roasting dish, add the pears and sprinkle over the sugar, verjuice and olive oil. Grind over the pepper and scatter over the thyme. Roast for 20 minutes or until a little golden. Allow to cool.
3. Roll out the pastry to no more than 5mm thick. Trim to a large rectangle (use the trimming to decorate the edges). Top with the roast pears. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until puffed and golden.
4. Crumble on the gorgonzola while still warm, drop on the walnuts, drizzle over some of the pear baking juices and serve with the salad greens on the side.
Drink German spatlese riesling