Not Without Salt

A buttery shortbread crust flecked with vanilla beans holds a creamy bittersweet chocolate ganache. The ganache is combined with Calvados and then a layer of pears sets atop the ganache. The pears were roasted with vanilla beans and butter. Finally a shiny chocolate glaze is poured on as the final layer. Garnished with bronzed lustre dust and a dried pear slice. Truly decadent.

Shortbread Crust

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp vanilla or 1/2 vanilla bean

1 cup flour

Melt butter. Cool slightly. Combine butter, sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir to combine. Gently stir in flour. Dough will be wet. Press into tart molds. Bake 15-20 minutes 350*.

Bittersweet Ganache with Calvados

I used equal parts (by weight) dark chocolate and cream and added 2 tbl. butter. You will need about 3 cups ganache for 8 tarts. (Sorry – I didn’t use a recipe so I don’t have the exact amounts) Add 2 – 3 tbl. Calvados (French apple brandy)

Scald cream and add to chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute. Stir and add butter and Calvados.

Pour a small layer of ganache in the bottom of the baked/cooled tart shells. Chill that in the fridge until just set. Add a layer of roasted pears (peel pears, wrap each one in aluminum foil with 1 tbl. butter and 1/3 vanilla bean with the seeds scraped out. Roast 350* 15 – 20 min. until tender. Let cool then slice thinly discarding core.)

Finish the tart by adding a chocolate glaze. ( I added 3tbl. butter and 1/4 corn syrup to the rest of the ganache to make a shiny glaze.)

For garnish slice pears thinly then place on a cookie sheet and bake at 200 – 250* until dry. I brushed bronze lustre dust on the dried pear than sprinkled the dust on the tart.

I also wanted to thank everyone for coming and visiting my site and adding such wonderful comments to my posts. Many of you have complimented me on the amazing photos on my blog and website. Although I appreciate the compliments very much I can not take any of the credit. My husband is an incredible photographer and he takes all my photos. He has his own company which has now recently included his brother. Please check out his website as there are many more gorgeous photos found there. Thanks again for the complimens… I will pass them along to my husband.

A couple weeks ago Gabe, Baron and I, along with many other family members, spent a Saturday afternoon touring a few of our local farms. It was absolutely heavenly. I don’t think I could describe a more perfect day than this was. Crisp fall air warmed by the smell of hot apple cider and the heat of the torch coming from a young blacksmith giving demonstrations, rows and rows of plentiful apple trees of many varieties, piles of assorted pumpkins and squash, a not-so-complicated but still fun corn maze, homemade pumpkin ice cream, talking roosters, handmade artisan cheeses, and so much more.

We walked away with two apples, a wedge of garlic and onion cheddar, a small carton of milk, two tiny squash and an assortment of pumpkins in varying varieties.

Overwhelmed with the varieties of pumpkins I sought some advice and was told that Sugar Pie pumpkins are among the best for baking due to their high sugar content and smooth, even textured flesh.

I roasted two small(ish) sugar pie pumpkins which yielded approximately four cups of puree and then I immediately set out to make this seasons first pumpkin pie.

Crust

2 cups Flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup whole milk

Combine ingredients. Dough will be wet. Press into pie pan and pre-bake for 10-15 minutes. Pour in pumpkin pie filling (below) then continue baking until custard is slightly loose in the center. 350* approx. 40-45 minutes.

Pumpkin Custard

2 cups pumpkin puree

3 eggs

1/2 cup cream

1/2 brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (according to your preference.)

Serve with lightly sweetened, softly whipped cream.