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

Lightly Spiced Apple Mousse

This particular apple mousse was inspired by a foodie conversation with a friend last week. The old fashioned recipe called Apple Snow came to mind at the time of our chat and then I also recalled the Ballarat apples I had sitting at home waiting for a purpose. Apple Snow is a dessert made with cooked apples and beaten egg whites and it's a tad bland so I used the concept and then just made it more delicious. Ballarat's are brilliant cooking apples- they turn to mushed apple in no time at all- perfect for this mousse.

Any suitable cooking apple will do.

I began by peeling, coring & chopping two large apples, adding just a sprinkle of water, popping on the lid & simmering the apples for 10 minutes or so (watching to see that they don't catch on the bottom as they cook) until they have broken down & have become apple sauce.

Add a tbsp of honey.

Leave to cool.

In a small pot or glass jug soak a large tsp of powdered gelatine in a 1/4 of water for a few minutes.

Heat gently on the stove or for 20 seconds in the microwave. Stir to dissolve.

Add to the apple and stir.

Beat 2 large egg whites until very stiff and smooth and meringue-like.

Beat 125 mis of cream with a tbsp of honey and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon until soft peaks have formed.
Fold the apple, egg whites and cream together gently.

 Pour in to small cups, or bowls, or one large one.
Chill. The flavours improve over time. One of those recipes that's even better the next day.

 Caramelised walnuts go well with the apple and cinnamon flavours too.
Stir a little brown sugar, butter and some walnuts in a nonstick pan for around 5 minutes until fragrantly golden. Tip out on to baking paper and spread out to cool.

Katie X

Acorn, Coffee, Walnut Cake

200 grams softened  unsalted butter

1/2 c soft brown sugar

1tbsp golden syrup

4 eggs

1/2 cup of ground acorn flour

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup almond flour

1/2 c white flour

pinch of salt

Butter coffee icing- an old fashioned hand beater is great. 

150 g softened butter

1 cup of icing sugar- beat together until light & fluffy

Beat in

1+ tbsp coffee, chicory essence

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

In one bowl mix the acorn & almond flours, add the chopped walnuts.

Cut up a cupful of dried figs & squeeze over them the juice of an orange.

 To make the cake- cream the 200 gms of softened butter & beat together with the 1/2 c of soft brown sugar. Beat in the tbsp of golden syrup & then each of the 4 eggs. Gently fold in the pinch of salt, vanilla essence & the figs (tip of the orange juice) & flours as above plus the 1/2c of white flour.
Pour the batter in to a well greased & floured cake tin.
Bake at 160c for about 40 minutes.

 ice with the above icing when cold.

 How to make acorn flour here. Or follow a much more clearly laid our recipe here: https://charlotteslivelykitchen.com/coffee-buttercream/ although, I halved (ish) the recipe.

Katie X