I've never met Paule Caillat, but when I finally see her next month, I'm going to hug her.
Not only is she wonderful, she has also been so patient with my constant queries these past several months. I mentioned earlier that I wanted to book a class with her but all my planning & frequent e-mailing ended in anti-climax when I discovered I wouldn't be able to take one class I was looking forward to because of non-availability and another clashed with something else I will be doing that same day. When I found out the latter, I was sure Paule might want to whack me over the head with a cast-iron skillet for being such a nuisance. But didn't I already establish that she's wonderful?
She really is. For forgiving me. And for being the source of what has become my favorite sweet tart dough recipe.
Not only is she wonderful, she has also been so patient with my constant queries these past several months. I mentioned earlier that I wanted to book a class with her but all my planning & frequent e-mailing ended in anti-climax when I discovered I wouldn't be able to take one class I was looking forward to because of non-availability and another clashed with something else I will be doing that same day. When I found out the latter, I was sure Paule might want to whack me over the head with a cast-iron skillet for being such a nuisance. But didn't I already establish that she's wonderful?
She really is. For forgiving me. And for being the source of what has become my favorite sweet tart dough recipe.
The last time I made a tart inspired by Paule, I got the creme d'amandes (almond cream) wrong. Well - almost wrong. I hadn't known what creme d'amandes was and had used the first random recipe that I found through google search. It turns out, a much superior recipe was sitting right under my nose the entire time. If only I had bothered to consult BFMHTY.
So here's my latest attempt at making a tart: I used Paule's recipe for sweet tart dough but entirely substituted the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour this time. The almond cream filling comes from BFMHTY (recipe can be found on Dorie Greenspan's blog ) & is topped with freshly poached pears d'anjou. I resisted the urge to use either ginger or cloves in the poaching liquid because Paule warned that they might overpower the delicate flavor of the almond cream. But I did use a vanilla pod.
The tart shell is par-baked for 7-8 minutes at 350F and then cooled before filling with the creme d'amandes & topping with poached, sliced pears. It goes back in the oven & needs to be baked for 45-50 minutes or until the almond cream is puffed and brown on top.
Taking a bite out of this tart is complete bliss. I especially love the creme d'amandes which came out so much better than my previous attempt! I told Paule that the first time I ever had tarte aux poires was in Disneyland &, while it may have been better looking than what you see here, I cannot say that it came anywhere close to this one in flavor.
7 comments:
I have never made a tarte aux poires; I need to remedy this since I love pears. This recipe looks great and the topping in its golden glory is hard to resist.
i refer to BFMHTY as my bible as well! This tart looks so wonderful.I have never poached a pear before, and have never tried a pear tart in my life. I guess i would be trying that soon!
I have a somewhat passionate love of pears and your tart makes my mouth water.
looks delicious, i always wish i could attend a cooking class here, they have loads of them in KL but never in other states :( , maybe someday :)
This looks so good! I've never baked much with pears, but I'm starting to find out what a wonderful baking fruit they are.
Your tart looks lovely! And thanks for introducing me to Paule. Must check out her site at length- she looks like a good source of information.
I love tarte aux poires, and yours looks absolutely lovely!
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