Ingredients
- 2/3 cup hazelnuts toasted and skinned
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup cold water (approx)
- 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
- 2 large pears, peeled cored cut lengthways into about 10 equal wedges, tossed in some fresh lemon juice to stop them going brown
- Runny honey
- Few sprigs fresh thyme
Pear, Hazelnut and Blue Cheese Tart
Method
- Heat oven to 180c
- To make the crust, combine the flours together with a pinch of salt in a medium size bowl
- Stir in the olive oil and water (if it is too dry add a little more water) until the dough forms a soft ball
- Line a 12x12 inch rectangular loose bottom tin with the dough
- Prick the base with a fork
- Coarsely chop the hazelnuts, setting aside 2 tablespoons for garnish
- Place the hazelnuts and sugar in a food processor and process until finely ground
- Add the butter, salt, cardamom and egg and process to smooth paste
- Spread the hazelnut mix over the dough and bake for 20 mins or until lightly brown
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle over the crumbled blue cheese
- Arrange the pears on top of the blue cheese and return to the oven for 25 mins or until the pears are tender
- Remove from the oven, brush or drizzle over honey, sprinkle over thyme and remaining hazelnuts
- Cool completely before removing from the tin to serve
Comments
Thanks to Ettrick Gardens - pears, and to Whitestone Cheese – blue cheese for providing the ingredients used in the demonstration.
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