Pear Tarte Tatin with Cardamom

It was a Public Holiday here yesterday and we were invited to a BBQ Party so I decided to bring a dessert and my thought went straight to a Pear Tarte Tatin which I had always wanted to bake but never done so because there’s only 2 of us and to bake a tart that would serve 6 or 8 or 10 people would mean we will end up over-indulging!!  Hence, a great opportunity for me to ‘have the cake and eat it as well’ in this instant 😉

I luurve the smell of cardamom …especially in my Masala Tea …it is one of those spices that is equally at home in sweet and savoury …it is delicious with pears and brings out the flavour of the pears in this simple tart ❤

These are the Pears I used for the tarte tartin

Cardamom Pods cracked open for the seeds

Heat until sugar melts and begins to bubble with the juice from the pear ….once sugar caramalized, remove pan from heat

with help of a rolling pin, place the pastry atop the pan …

Tuck in the edges of the pastry with a knife

The puff pastry reeeallly puffed up …straight out of oven here …..let stand for couple minutes until the juices had stopped bubbling

RECIPE

Ingredients :

50g butter, softened

50g caster (superfine) sugar

seeds from 10 green cardamom pods

225g puff pastry

3 – 4 ripe pears

Methods :

• Preheat oven to 220°C 
  
• Spread softened butter over 7″ base of a heavy ovenproof omelette pan, sprinkle the sugar followed by the cardamom seeds
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a circle slightly larger than the pan ..prick pastry with a fork …then place on a baking sheet and chill
• Peel the pears, cut in half lengthwise and remove the cores
• Arrange the pears, rounded side down, in the pan and heat until the sugar melts and begins to bubble with the juice from the pear
• Remove pan from the heat when the sugar caramelised
• With the help of a rolling pin, place the pastry atop pan and tuck in the edges with a knife
• Bake in pre-heated oven for 25 minutes
• Leave the tart in the pan for couple of minutes until the juices has stopped bubbling
• Invert a serving plate over the pan, then wearing oven gloves, hold the pan and plate together and quickly turn over, gently shaking to release the tart from the pan
• It may be necessary to slide a spatula underneath the pears to loosen them
• Serve the tart warm, with ice cream or cream

Chicken and Mushrooms Pie

Chicken and Mushrooms Pie … a more traditional version of Chicken Pie vs the Chicken, Cheese and Leek Parcel …both of which I made with the one Spit Roast Chicken 😉

Simply delectable!!!

half of the meat from the Spit Roast Chicken …..cubed

Mushrooms, quartered …. Leeks, chopped ….

The Creamy Sauce that is an important essence of the filling …I used the chicken stock I made from the bones/skin after stripping the meat off my Spit Roast Chicken

Onions & Carrots in the pan with remaining butter

The creamy pie filling …..

RECIPE

Ingredients:

15g dried porcini mushrooms

50g butter

2 Tbsp plain flour

1 cup hot chicken stock

4 Tbsp single cream

1 onion, coarsely chopped

2 carrots, sliced

 2 celery sticks, coarsely chopped

50g fresh mushrooms, quartered

chicken meat from ½ a Roast Chicken, cubed

50g frozen peas

salt & ground black pepper

1 egg, beaten

250g puff pastry

 Method:

• Place porcini mushrooms in a bowl, add hot water to cover and soak for 30 minutes then drain in a muslin lined sieve then dry well on kitchen paper
• Preheat oven  to 190° C
• Melt half of the butter in a heavy based pan, whisk in the flour until bubbling then add in the hot stock gradually and whisk over medium heat until the mixture boil.
• Cook for 2 -3 minutes, then whisk in the cream and season to taste, and set aside
• Heat the remaining butter in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the onions and carrots over low heat for about 5 minutes
• Add the fresh mushrooms and celery and cook for further 5 minutes then stir in the chicken, peas and porcini mushrooms
• Add the chicken to the hot cream sauce and stir to mix and adjust the seasoning, if necessary
• Spoon the mixture into a ovenproof baking dish
• Roll out the puff pastry to about ¼in thick and cut 1in larger all around than the dish then with help of rolling pin, lift pastry and lay over the filling/dish then gently press around the edge of the dish to seal
• Trim off excess pastry around the edge and with all the leftover pastry, roll out into a long strip, slightly brush edge of pastry with beaten egg then lay another thin layer all around the edge 
• Crimp the edges of the pastry by pushing the forefinger of one hand onto the edge and using the thumb and forefinger of the other hand pinch the pastry …continue all around the pastry edge
• Cut out some mushroom shapes by pressing together and rolling out all leftover pasty and stick them onto the pastry lid with beaten egg
• Glaze the lid with beaten egg and cut several slits in the lid to allow steam to escape
• Bake the pie for about 30 mins until the pastry is well browned and crispy and serve the pie hot

Chicken, Cheese and Leek Parcel

This is the first time I attempted this pie and it turned out to be truly awesome! Hubby & I couldn’t decide between this and a more traditional pie so I ended up making both, i.e. this Chicken, Cheese and Leek Parcel and a Chicken and Mushroom Pie, with the meat from the one Spit Roast Chicken I roasted! A wholesome meal/snack on it’s own.

Awesome is the word!!

I shredded half of my Spit Roast Chicken to use for this pie

Sliced Mushrooms and Leeks

Melt the butter and add the leek and garlic to cook …

The filling ready to be wrapped in the parcel with the puff pastry

Criss-cross the diagonal strips of the puff pastry over each other alternately to enclose the filling

Glaze the top with beaten eagg

RECIPE

Ingredients:

Shreded meat from half a Roast Chicken

20g butter

1 – 2 medium leeks, thinly sliced

1 garlic cloves, crushed

½ cup button mushrooms, sliced

 grated rind of 1 small lemon

1 cup cream cheese 

1 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

250g puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

salt and pepper

 Methods:

• Strip meat from half of the roast chicken, discarding skin and bones (I reserve the skin & bones to make chicken stock) and shred the meat, leave aside
• Melt the butter in a pan, add the leeks and garlic and cook for 8 minutes
• Stir in the mushrooms and cook for further 3 minutes
• Leave to cool slightly, then add the cream cheese, lemon rind, parsley and seasoning and stir in the shredded chicken meat
• Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly-floured work surface to a large rectangle, about 8 x 6in
• Using a rolling pin, lift the pastry and lay it onto a non-stick baking sheet
• Spread the filling onto the pastry leaving a generous margin at each end and about 2in on each long side
• Use a sharp knife, cut the pastry sides diagonally in strips, cutting up to the filling at ¾in intervals
• Brush the edges of the pastry with a little of the beaten egg
• Criss-cross the pastry strips over each other alternately to enclose the filling and seal the edges
• Glaze the top with beaten egg and leave the pie to rest while you preheat oven to 200°C
• Bake for about 10 mins and lower oven temperature to 190°C and bake for further 15 mins or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp
• Allow to stand for 10 mins before sliding the pie onto a board or platter to serve.