Pear, Cinnamon & Bergamot Vegan Crostatine (mini tarts, with a Chocolate Variation

• Produce

  • 1/2 Bergamot, zest of
  • 2 tbsp Bergamot, juice
  • 2 Williams pears, medium large

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/4 tsp Baking powder
  • 2 1/8 oz Brown sugar, whole dark
  • 3 tbsp Brown sugar, whole
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 2/3 oz Flour, white organic
  • 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
  • 3 1/2 oz Whole wheat flour

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 1 oz Neutral vegetable oil

• Nuts & Seeds

  • 1/3 cup Almonds

• Dairy

  • 1/8 g Cacao butter

• Desserts

  • 1 tbsp Rum or maraschino

• Liquids

  • 2 tbsp Water

• Other

  • 3.5 to 1.7 oz (30 to 50 g extra dark chocolate, plus some unprocessed cocoa powder

Found on hortuscuisine.com

Description

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup / 2.1 oz / 60 g almonds
• 2.1 oz / 60 g whole dark brown sugar
• 3.5 oz / 100 g whole wheat flour
• 1.7 oz / 50 g white organic flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 0.3 / 10 g cacao butter
• 1 oz / 30 g neutral vegetable oil, preferably rice oil or sunflower oil
• 2- 4 tablespoons cold water, depending on the flour
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 medium-large Williams pears, not too ripe
• 3 tablespoons whole brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Grated zest of half a bergamot
• 2 tablespoons bergamot juice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon Rum or Maraschino (sub more citrus juice if you do not want to use alcohol)
• 3.5 to 1.7 oz (30 to 50 g) extra dark chocolate, plus some unprocessed cocoa powder

Directions

• First, prepare the pears: cut in half, core them, then slice one of them into very fine slices, about ⅛ thick. Cut the other one in small cubes.
• Add to a bowl and very gently toss with the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, zest and liquid, and let it soak for at least 30 minutes, but no longer than one hour. Fish out the slices and set aside in a plate. Add the cubes along with the liquid left in the bowl to a pan, and cook on low heat until the pears are soft, about 15 minutes. Add a splash of water if they caramelize too quickly. When they are cooked, there should be no liquid left in the pan and should give in very easily to pressure. Mash them with a fork.
• To make the crust, combine the almonds and sugar in a blender, and grind them as finely as possible. Ideally, you should end up with a fine flour.
• In a bowl, mix the flours, sugar and almonds, and baking powder.
• In another bowl, melt the cacao butter and vegetable oil over a bain-marie, and add the vanilla extract.
• Add the melted fat into the flour mix, and mix it with a fork until you get oat-sized clumps of flours. Add the flour one tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together. If you end up adding a little too much water, dust the dough with flour. Form into a ball (the dough should not be sticky) and wrap in clingfilm if not using straight away.
• Grease 8 mini tart molds and divide the dough evenly among them. Dont be like me - dont use molds that are not nonstick: silicone or regular nonstick tins will work fine.
• Press the dough into the molds into an even layer, making sure to cover the sides as well. Divide the mashed pear among the crostatine in a ¼ inch layer.
• to make the rose shape on top, arrange the slices so that they sightly overlap, starting from the outside of the pan. Or, check out this link for an equally effective method: http://www.fmitk.com/2014/07/mini-apple-rose-pies/
• Pop the crostatine in the fridge for about 30 more minutes for best results.
• Preheat the oven to 340 F˚ / 170 C˚. Take the crostatine out of the fridge, dust with a little powdered sugar and extra cinnamon, and stick them in the oven until golden and slightly browned on top, about 35 to 40 minutes. They will be quite soft when you take them out of the oven, so let them cool completely before unmolding them.
• Enjoy alone or with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of yogurt.
• Skip the bergamot and, before adding the pears, grate a generous amount of dark chocolate into the pastry shells and dust with cocoa powder, then add the pear compote and sliced pears as per recipe.