Pear, Walnut and Roquefort Tart – exceptionally lazy (and tasty!)

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An exceptionally lazy (and tasty) tart

If I get reincarnated as a mouse, I am in big, big trouble because - quite apart from grey not being my best colour - in general (gasp!) I don’t like cheese very much. This is a major failing which I try to correct. When I find myself faced with a cheeseboard, I will taste a molecule of everything just to make sure I still don’t like it. Mostly, I still don’t.

One of the few exceptions is creamy, salty Roquefort, which I treat as a seasoning - for salads and for this exceptionally lazy tart. So simple, this is barely a recipe, however the pastry must be good quality all butter pastry - there is nowhere for anything less to hide.

For 1 lazy tart (a quick snack for 2 or a canapé for 4 – 6) you will need…

… to pre-heat the oven to 190˚C

1 x 220g sheet of ready-made all butter puff pastry

1 large sweet pear (such as Comice) peeled and very thinly sliced

50g Roquefort, cut or crumbled into pieces about the size of a hazelnut

25g walnut halves

10g salted butter

1.                 Using a sharp knife, score a line around the edge of the pastry sheet about 2cm from the edge, being careful not to cut all the way through.

2.                 Taking care to avoid the margin you’ve just created, arrange the pear slices in one layer on top of the pastry. At this point the tart looks very mean and you’ll be tempted to add more pear slices. Hold your nerve. The tart will be soggy if you overdo the fruit. Distribute the pieces of cheese evenly over the surface of the tart, followed by the walnut halves. Dot the pieces of pear with the salted butter. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 12 – 15 minutes until the pastry is golden and cooked through and the cheese melted. Serve hot or warm.

A cheesy snack for gourmet mice ;)

Variation: You could drizzle a little clear honey over the top of the cooked tart for a little hit of sweetness.

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Pear, Apple and Muesli Crumble – how to banish Winter!

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You’ll probably remember a time when, as a child, you ate an ice cream too fast and your mouth froze and the cold sensation spread to give you an almighty headache. If a city could have that sensation, my home town would have it now. Brrrrrr! There is only one remedy. This place needs crumble. Now!

For 4 servings you will need...

... to pre-heat the oven to 170°C

Crumble mix

100g plain flour

75g butter, cut into small cubes

¼ teaspoon fine table salt

65g caster sugar (or brown sugar)

1 teaspoon grated orange zest (I used mandarin)

100g of your favourite unsweetened muesli

1                    Place the flour and butter in a mixing bowl and rub the butter into the flour, lifting and crumbling the mixture between your index and middle fingers and your thumbs, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. There’ll be some larger pea-sized lumps but don’t worry. These help make for a good texture in the crumble.

2                    Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. You can pop the mixture into the freezer at this stage for later use if you wish.

Magic ingredient: Don't forget a touch of salt to bring out the sweetness

Filling

200g apple, sliced or chopped

200g of hard pears (such as Conference)

35g sugar or honey

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

3                    Mix together the filling ingredients and transfer to a square pie dish approximately 21cm x 21cm (8½” x 8½”) and 6cm (2½”) deep. Alternatively, I’ve used 4 individual round pie dishes 11cm (4½”)  diameter and 4.5cm (about 2”) deep.

4                    Cover the fruit mixture with a layer of crumble approximately 1cm thick (½ inch), patting it into place but taking care not to pack it too tightly. Transfer to the pre-heated oven and bake for 30 – 40 mins or until golden brown. Serve with custard or cream and a big fat warm smile because Winter has been banished – from the table at least!

Later that evening...

Variations: Crumble is a great dish to reflect the seasons – rhubarb and strawberry in late Spring, cherry in the Summer, and apple, pear, and blackberry in the Autumn. Vary the flavouring in both the topping and the filling – almond extract is good with a cherry filling, clove loves apple. It’s a dish to be played with and experimented with.

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