Pear And Fig Pie With Hazelnut Crust Recipes

Steps:

• Finely grind nuts, sugar and salt in processor. Blend in flour. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until butter is in rice-size pieces. Blend in 4 tablespoons ice water, adding more water by tablespoonfuls until dough comes together in moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Divide in half; flatten into disks. Wrap each in plastic; refrigerate until cold, about 45 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Add pears and toss to blend.
• Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish; fill with pear mixture. Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round; place atop filling. Trim overhang of top and bottom crusts to 1/4 inch; press together and fold under. Crimp edge decoratively. Cut several slits in top crust to allow steam to escape.
• Bake pie 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake pie until juices bubble thickly through vents and crust is golden, about 50 minutes longer. Cool pie on rack 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the cold butter and pulse ten times until the butter is the size of large peas. Add 3 tablespoons of cold water and pulse until it comes together. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and bring the dough together, forming a disk. Wrap in Reynolds® Parchment Paper and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Fill a 9-inch tart mold or rectangle tart mold with the dough. Cut off excess from the top and refrigerate for another 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover the top of the dough with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil and weigh down with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and pie weights and let cool.
• Combine the hazelnuts and sugar in the food processor. Pulse to a fine powder. Add the butter, egg, flour, vanilla, rum and salt. Process until it comes together as a paste.
• Spread the mixture over the partially baked tart. On the top, arrange the pear slices in a pattern. Bake the tart for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown. Let it cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Steps:

• Prepare the Shortcut Pie Crust through Step 3.
• When ready to make the pie, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Roast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet until evenly browned and skins are loosened, 25 to 30 minutes. While they are still warm, rub them together in a dish towel to remove the skins. Cool the skinned hazelnuts, and then blitz them to a fine meal with the flour in the food processor. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
• Crush the cardamom pods and retrieve the seeds, discarding the pods, then crush the seeds to a fine powder using a mortar and pestle.
• In a food processor, cream the butter, granulated sugar and crushed cardamom until pale and fluffy. With the machine running, add eggs one at a time, emulsifying each one fully before adding the next, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer to the bowl with the hazelnut meal and stir to combine. Chill until firm, about 1 hour.
• While the frangipane chills, shape and bake the crust: Working over an 11-inch fluted tart pan, prepare the Shortcut Pie Crust through Step 4, then chill, at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days. (This can be done ahead.)
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the chilled crust until just-cooked but not browned, about 15 minutes. (The crust will continue to cook while the tart bakes, so expect it to darken in color when it bakes the second time.) Cool completely.
• Scoop the hazelnut frangipane into the crust. (Don't try to spread it; it will distribute itself evenly as it cooks.) Nestle the pears into the frangipane, tucking some underneath the frangipane and leaving others on top.
• Bake on a baking sheet until the frangipane is fully set in the center and the crust is golden brown, 75 to 90 minutes. Cool on a wire rack completely, then remove from the pan and serve with crème fraîche.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Pulse hazelnuts with 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor until finely ground, then add flour and pulse to combine.
• Beat together butter and remaining 1/4 cup sugar with an electric mixer at moderately high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in extracts. Reduce speed to low and mix in nut mixture until just combined.
• Spread frangipane filling evenly in tart shell. Peel, halve, and core pears, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, holding slices together to keep pear shape intact. Arrange pears decoratively on filling, fanning slices slightly. Bake until pears are golden and frangipane is puffed and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Brush pears (not filling) with preserves and cool tart completely in pan on rack, then remove side of pan.

Steps:

• For filling:
• Stir first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Add pears and toss to coat.
• For topping
• Whisk flour, sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in nuts.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Spoon pear filling into pie crust. Sprinkle topping evenly over filling. Bake pie 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Continue baking pie until pears are tender and filling is bubbling thickly, covering edges with foil if crust is browning too quickly, about 1 hour 5 minutes longer. Cool pie on rack at least 2 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• For Crust: Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Using on/off turns, cut in butter and cream cheese until coarse meal forms. With machine running, pour just enough water down feed tube to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Divide dough in half. Flatten each half into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour. (Can be made 2 days ahead.)
• For Filling: Mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Mix in pears, prunes and figs. Sprinkle brandy over and mix well. Let stand 15 minutes to allow juices to form.
• Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 400° F. Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 14-inch-diameter round. Transfer to 10-inch-diameter glass pie dish; gently press dough into place. Spoon filling into crust, mounding slightly in center. Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 14-inch-diameter round. Drape dough over filling. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Press edges together to seal and fold under. Crimp edge decoratively. Brush top of crust (but not edge) with glaze. Cut several small slits in crust to allow steam to escape.
• Bake pie until crust is golden brown and pears are tender when pierced through steam vents, about 50 minutes. Cool slightly and serve.

Steps:

• Bring wine, figs, and star anise to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat, and simmer until figs are softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer figs to a large bowl. Cook liquid over medium-high heat until reduced to a syrup, about 3 minutes; discard star anise. Pour syrup over figs.
• Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to a 13-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch glass pie plate. Trim dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang; refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Roll out second disk to a 13-inch round. Cut out steam vent in center with a cookie cutter; refrigerate or freeze dough round and cutout until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Peel and core pears; slice into 1/4-inch-thick wedges. Add pears, walnuts, lemon juice, granulated sugar, salt, and cornstarch to figs and syrup; stir until well combined. Spoon into pie plate, piling high in center. Dot with butter; lightly brush edge of dough with water. Drape second disk of dough over pin; center over filling. Gently press around filling to fit; trim dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold edge of top crust under bottom one; crimp to seal. Brush water on bottom of cutout; press onto top crust. Beat egg yolk with cream; brush all over dough. Sprinkle pie generously with sanding sugar; freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F, with rack in lower third.
• Transfer pie plate to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, and bake until just golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F. Bake until juices are bubbling and crust is deep golden brown, about 1 hour. If edges brown too quickly, cover with a foil ring (see page 324). Let pie cool completely on a wire rack.