Poached Pears in a Chocolate, and Mascarpone Nutty Tart with Malbec Molasses

• Produce

  • 2 Bay leaves, whole
  • 6 Bosc pears, small
  • 1/4 tsp Lemon, zest
  • 1 Orange, zest from

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/2 cup All-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup Almond meal
  • 2 Cinnamon sticks, whole
  • 1/4 cup Cocoa powder, unsweetened
  • 3 tbsp Confectioners' sugar
  • 6 tbsp Granulated sugar
  • 1 Pinch Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Sea salt, fine
  • 1 3/4 cups Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract, pure

• Nuts & Seeds

  • 1/4 cup Pistachios, unsalted ground
  • 1 Pistachios

• Dairy

  • 8 oz 1 cup mascarpone
  • 1/2 cup Butter, unsalted

• Frozen

  • 1 Vanilla bean split

• Beer, Wine & Liquor

  • 3 cups Merlot

• Liquids

  • 1 1/2 cups Water

Found on theroadtohoney.com

Description

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup unsalted pistachios, ground
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 cups of Merlot (about 1 bottle of wine)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 vanilla bean split
• 2 whole cinnamon sticks
• 2 whole bay leaves
• Zest from one orange
• 6 small Bosc Pears
• Chopped pistachios, for topping the tart (optional)
• 8 ounces (~1 cup mascarpone)
• 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Directions

• Combine first 5 ingredients (flour through sea salt) in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter & sugar on medium speed until its light & fluffy (about 2 minutes).
• Turn the mixer off & add the flour mixture to the butter.
• Turn the mixer on low & mix until just combined. Take care not to overmix.
• Roll the dough out into a 1/8 inch thick rectangle between two pieces of parchment paper.
• Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375° F.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerate & allow it to warm enough so that it can be pressed into the bottom & sides of a 14 x 4 inch tart pan. If you are not using a nonstick pan, be sure to butter the pan before pressing the dough into it.
• If the dough becomes too soft to work with, place it back into the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
• Trim excess dough & use these scraps to fill in any spots & to thicken up any of the edges that need it.
• Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork.
• Place the pan into the freezer for 30 minutes or until firm.
• Place the tart pan on a baking sheet.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is firm to the touch.
• If the crust is puffy, press it down with the back of a spoon while the crust is still hot.
• Transfer the pan to a wire rack & allow it to cool completely.
• Cut a round of parchment paper 1/2 larger than the diameter of a lidded saucepan. Your saucepan should be just large enough to hold the pears. Set aside.
• Combine the wine, water & sugar in the pot.
• Split the vanilla bean & scrape the seeds into the poaching liquid.
• Add the next 5 ingredients (vanilla pod through orange zest).
• Peel the pears & place them, stem ups, into the poaching liquid.
• Bring liquid so that it is just below a simmer, stirring gently to melt the sugar.
• Place the parchment paper on top of the pears & liquid.
• Place a small heatproof plate on top to keep the pears submerged.
• Simmer until the pears are tender but still somewhat firm (approximately 15-20 minutes, but this will vary depending on the size & ripeness of your pears).
• Remove the pan from the heat & allow the pears to cool to room temperature in the poaching liquid.
• Cover with plastic wrap & allow the pears to sit in the refrigerator overnight & up to 3 days.
• Before serving, strain the poaching liquid into a saucepan.
• Simmer until the poaching liquid is reduced by half (about 40 minutes). You want a syrup-like consistency.
• Store in an airtight container until ready to use. I heat the liquid in the microwave for 10 seconds to make it easier to drizzle on the tart. Note: You will have more molasses than you need but this molasses taste great on oatmeal, ice cream, yogurt etc.
• Place the mascarpone, confectioners sugar, zest, vanilla, & a pinch of salt in a medium sized bowl. Mix until combined.
• Spoon the filling into the Nutty Chocolate Tart Shell.
• Spoon the mascarpone filling in the tart shell.
• Carefully lay the poached pears on top of the mascarpone. If you want, you can core the pears, but I really saw no need to do so with my pears.
• Heat the Malbec molasses up in the microwave for about 10 seconds, or until it is at consistency that it is easy to drizzle across the pears.
• Drizzle the desired amount of molasses over the top of the pears.
• Top with chopped pistachios.