366 DESSERTS
PEAR, APPLE, AND PISTACHIO TART WITH CLOTTED CREAM ICE CREAM Alix Carwood IT consultant and 2008 quarter-finalist PREPARATION TIME 45 minutes
COOKING TIME 40 minutes
SERVES 4
250g (9oz) ready-made puff pastry (or see MasterTip, p.365) 1 egg yolk 50g (13⁄4oz) pistachio nuts 30g (1oz) ground almonds 30g (1oz) softened unsalted butter 30g (1oz) caster sugar 1 ⁄2 tsp vanilla extract 1 sweet, juicy pear, such as Williams 1 aromatic apple, such as Cox’s 10g (1⁄4oz) unsalted butter, melted 2 tbsp clear honey
FOR THE ICE CREAM
200ml (7fl oz) whole milk 1 vanilla pod 2 egg yolks 50g (scant 1oz) caster sugar 175g (6oz) clotted cream 4 tbsp double cream
1 To make the ice cream, pour the milk into a non-stick saucepan. Cut open the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds into the milk, then add the pod. Bring the milk to the boil, then take off the heat and allow to cool. When cool, remove the vanilla pod. 2 Whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar in a large bowl. Pour in the cooled milk mix and whisk together. Return this custard mixture to the saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until it has thickened, taking care not to let it boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little. 3 In a large bowl, mix the clotted cream and double cream together to loosen the consistency of the clotted cream. Add the cooled custard mixture and stir to combine. 4 Pour the mixture into an ice-cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. (If you do not have an ice-cream maker, see the MasterTip, p.347.) 5 To make the tarts, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas 6). Roll out the puff pastry until it is approximately 5mm (1⁄4in) thick. Cut out four 12cm (5in) circles. With a sharp knife, score a smaller circle within each circle of pastry, taking care not to cut through it. Prick some holes in the centre of the pastry, using a fork. Brush the pastry circles with beaten egg yolk. 6 Put the pistachio nuts in a freezer bag and crush them, then place 30g (1oz) of them in a large mixing bowl, reserving the remainder for decorating the top of the tart and the ice cream. Add the ground almonds, softened butter, caster sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix together so it forms a paste. Spread the paste on the puff pastry bases in the inner circle.