Pear Tart

Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you all had a good start to 2011.
Do you have some recipes that you cook every now and then? I have a few and I have already written some of those on this blog.  This is another one that I make very often.  It's a Swiss recipe and I learned this from my husband.  It's one of those easy dishes, where you can easily substitute the ingredients if you don't have everything listed.  If you buy the ready puff pastry as well or a ready tart base, then the dish becomes super practical.  You can also make this tart with apples, plums, apricots, different berries, etc.  Quark and yogurt can be replaced with cream or with each other, you can just use only yogurt or just quark.
This tart just taste delicious because it is a very light dessert. It shouldn't be too sweet but depending on the type of fruit you use, you may want to add another tablespoon of sugar to the filling if you'd like. 

Pear Tart

(Makes 8 portions)

1 round fresh puff pastry (33cm - app 13'')

2 tablespoons of grounded hazelnuts

Filling:

4 tablespoons of Yogurt

1 cup of milk

3 tablespoons of Quark

2+1 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

2 tablespoons of flour

4 medium sized pears

1 egg

Start by putting your pastry in a tart tin, preferably over a baking sheet.  With the help of a fork make few holes on the pastry.  Spread the grounded nuts over the pastry and leave it aside. 

To prepare your filling,  mix the quark, yogurt, milk, 2 tablespoons of sugar, vanilla sugar, flour and 1 egg in a bowl by using a whisker.  

Pour the filling in the tart base you have prepared before. 

Peel the pears, take the seeds out and slice them into 1/2 cm pieces. Arrange the pear slices over the filling. They will be a little bit dipped into the filling but that's alright. You can also spread them randomly over the filling if you prefer.  

Sprinkle the left over tablespoon of sugar over the pear slices.  Bake the tart in preheated oven 180° C(356° F) for 40-45 minutes until the crust is golden brown. 

Aussie Pie with Puff Pastry

Here is another recipe I really had to write about.  I've learned this from my mother-in-law, who learned from their Australian family friends and I've been making this very tasty pie since then.  It's another simple dish that you will keep making if you try it once.  It is something like pasta or pizza.  If you have the pastry at home, it's a wonderful and a filling meal for everyone.  My children absolutely love this and it is also an easy recipe if you are having guests around.  This version of the Aussie pie is made with ready fresh puff pastry, which makes the preparation very easy and quick.  You need some ground beef and some vegetables that you think that might go well with the beef.  I used below vegetables this time, but it's also great with zucchini, peas, sweet corn, etc.  I would definitely recommend to put one chopped tomato in it always to make the filling a little bit juicy.  Alternatively you can use vegetable or meat stock or 1-2 tablespoons of cream.  Please write your comments if you try this recipe.  I am really interested in to hear what versions you have been making.

Aussie Pie with Puff Pastry

2 round fresh puff pastry (33cm - app. 13'')

1 egg beaten 

Filling:

500 g ground beef

1 onion - chopped

1 red pepper - chopped

1 aubergine - diced

1/2 leek - chopped

300 g mushrooms - chopped

1 tomato - chopped

1/2 teaspoon of ground cummin

1/2 teaspoon of mild or hot chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 180° C(356° F).  In a pan over medium heat start cooking your beef together with the onions.  When they are cooked a little bit, add in the aubergines, peppers, leeks and saute them together with the meat and onions.  The vegetables shouldn't be overcooked.  3-4 minutes before you take it off the heat, add in all the spices, mushrooms and tomatoes.  When the filling is ready, taste to see if it needs more salt or spice.  Set is aside to cool down a little bit. 

Take a pie tin or a tart tin and put the first puff pastry at the bottom over a baking paper.  Make some holes on it by using a fork.  If your filling has cooled enough put the filling over the pastry and cover it with the second pastry on top.  Seal the sides by folding and cut the excess bits of the pastry if necessary.  Brush the top layer with the beaten egg and bake the pie in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until the pastry has a golden brown color on top.  Serve it with some fresh green salad or any other salad of your choice.