Walnut Caramel Tart and Baked Pears

Ooh this tart is amazing & just perfect to bake in April when you've gathered up a whole pile of walnuts & started drying & cracking them. I found the recipe originally @ thisNZlife, made the tart, loved it & then promptly lost the recipe again. Absolutely no other walnut tart recipe will give you a sublime result like this- truly. Thank goodness the recipe surfaced again a year later.           

Walnuts, ground almonds, honey & eggs make this tart sublimely delicious, light, nourishing & not too rich.

Before you begin making the pie- roast/toast 1 1/2 cups walnut pieces in the oven that you've turned on to bake 180 degrees C & when done set aside.

The pastry: 1 1/4 cups of flour 

2 tbsp of icing sugar, brown sugar or a fine jaggery

125 grams chilled butter cubed

2 tablespoons cold/chilled water

Either pulse altogether in a food processor, or rub the butter in to the flour & sugar & then mix in the water to form a firm dough.

Press in to a 23 cm greased/baking paper lined pie tin or several smaller ones.

Bake for 10 minutes in a moderate oven.

Filling- put in to a pot: 

75 grams butter

1/2 cup of lovely honey 

1 large tbsp of jaggery or brown sugar 

Gently heat together to dissolve the sugar & melt the butter. Cool.

Add 4 beaten eggs

3/4 ground almonds & mix altogether

Add 1 cup of toasted walnut pieces & mix in

Pour the filling in to the pastry. Now arrange another 1/2 cup of walnut halves or bits in to the filling.

Bake at 180 degrees C for 10 minutes & then for another 20-25 minutes at 160 until the pie is golden & firm to the touch. Cool before removing.

 

Oh Lordy- this was the time we made the tart 'cos Nina & Luca were coming & we ate it with green cheese!

A perfect accompaniment to the walnut tart- baked pears & soft cheese.

To bake the pears- halve, scoop out the core with a teaspoon, slice a little off the bottom so that the pears sit flat. Then scatter toasted walnuts over each half, drizzle with maple syrup & bake for 20 minutes until tender. Firm pears like Beurre Bosc are great for this recipe. Figs work brilliantly too.

The pears make a wonderful autumn breakfast food. Here they are served with thick natural yoghurt with loads of cinnamon mixed through it, a pretty begonia (edible), a baked fig & an elderberry, blackberry & hibiscus immune boosting pastille. You can find the pastille recipe just here.

Katie X