Of all the seasonal and local Oregon foods we prepared at the Studio in Portland this week, the thing that most caught my attention was a pear tart. It completed a menu that began with little pancakes made from a pumpkin I found at the Farmer’s market, and topped with ham and Gruyere cheese. That course was followed by a tender, local chicken braised in green grape juice, finished with walnut butter, a note of mustard, and accompanied by a puree of Gene Thiel’s Butterball potatoes, yellow and rich enough to not need butter. The pear tart took its place last and was so good that some people (myself included) couldn’t resist seconds.
I still have my old notebooks from when I studied in the French Alps. I recently revisited a recipe for a pear tart. The old book is cloth bound and was purchased in a gift shop in a downtown San Francisco office building. It was offered to me as a going away present by co-workers. I worked at a law firm for a year to earn the tuition needed to attend cooking school. That mission gave me a special status, because none of my co-workers heard of anyone going to France to study food. I lived out their fantasies. I never used the book to take notes, but once the course was over, I transcribed my notes in a nice hand to the cream colored, lined pages. This modest going away present still permits me to recall the warmth and generosity of the person who offered it.
I was in the Alps in the Fall, so when local pears appeared, Madeleine Kamman explained how to prepare them in red wine before encasing them in pastry to produce a tart like nothing we’d ever imagined. The red wine penetrates the pears lending them the visual quality of a ruby. The pears are perfumed with the slightest hint of spice. The simple crust guaranteed the taste of excellent butter. Because its top was brushed with water and dusted with a scattering of sugar before it went into the oven, it finished with an additional fine crust like frost. It’s re-discovery is loaded with memory.
The Saturday Farmer’s market at Portland State has to be one of the most beautiful in the country. I found small, under-ripe Bosc pears. Back in the kitchen studio I showed students how to halve them, scoop out the seeds with a melon baller, then carefully trim each pear to have about four facets. The faceted effect supports my illusion that the pears can transform into jewels.
I had a student toss a piece of butter into a skillet, and when it melted, arranged the pear halves in a single layer. They cooked for a few minutes until the pears started to color, and the butter ran the risk of browning. I didn’t want the butter to burn, so I showed them how to add about 1/3 to ½ cup of sugar, stirring to coat the pears, and continue cooking. I pointed out how to turn the pears to help them glaze evenly and continue to watch the butter and the sugar. After they leached juice, the pears started to color. I let them know when to add a cup or so or red wine. As they continue the cooking, the pears absorbed the winey juices that transform into a glaze. The students preparing the tart repeated adding red wine as needed until the fruit was easily pierced with a knife. I stood at the stove beside the student reducing the glaze, and had them taste so that they understood that the deeper the pear cooked, the more flavor it had. I indicated as much reduction as I dared before removing the finished pears to a plate.
A tart pan was ready, lined with dough. The pears were arranged nicely. I pointed out how to use a spatula so that not a drop of glaze was lost to the ungrateful skillet. After brushing water on the underside of the top disc of pastry, it was set in place carefully, and crimped lovingly, the way a Grandma might have. I had them pierce the top decoratively with the tip of a knife to release steam then brush the surface with cold water. The moisture helps the layer of sugar adhere to the top crust. The tart baked at 400oF for about an hour.
When the oven door was opened it revealed a finished crust that melted to the shape of each pear. It adhered to them like a nicely tailored piece of clothing, suggesting the perfection of form it contained. The tart, needing no further adornment, was served forth. (See following recipe)
FRIDAY NIGHTS AT THE STUDIO
The next session on the 24th is booked. There are openings for Friday the 31st.
THROUGH NOVEMBER - Proposed weekly offerings:
November 7 - Alsatian menu featuring Beef with Meunster gnocchi
November 14th - Menu from Lyon, beginning with Poached egg in red wine sauce
November 21st - Provencal menu with a Leg of lamb, tomato sauce & chickpea ‘fries’
November 28 - Food in the style of Bordeaux beginning with a flaky blue cheese tart.
Each menu will be paired with wines of the region, and the cost of the menu is $38.
DECEMBER
I am reserving dates for dinners, classes, and small events at the Studio in December. If you’re thinking of bringing together a small group together, at the Studio, for your business or at your home, phone for ideas and availability.
JANUARY
The next 8-week Apprenticeship session in Portland
will begin January 5th, 2009. Evening classes, which begin a week later, will run once a week for six sessions. The classes offer a balance of structure and impromptu cooking that guarantee fun while learning.
Some people attending the present cooking sessions have been offered the classes as a gift. When you giveclasses to someone, often you get the benefit of what they learn. It’s one gift that keeps giving.
TART OF PEARS POACHED IN RED WINE
FOR THE PASTRY:
2 cups flour
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup ice cold water
Put flour in food processor along with salt and pulse half a dozen times to loosen the flour. Add the butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces and pulse a dozen times until the butter is pea-sized. Turn the machine on and add cold water, a tablespoon at a time, in succession, until the dough comes together, (about 3 to 4 tablespoons). Gather the dough into a ball. Cut two thirds of the dough and roll it to fit a buttered 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Set the dough in the pan, trimming the dough to leave a 1/2-inch overlap. Refrigerate the dough. Roll the remaining third of the dough to the exact dimension of the tart pan. Refrigerate.
FOR THE FILLING:
8 large Bosc pears
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup sugar
pinch of salt
1-1/2 cups dry red wine, such as Oreogn Pinot Noir or Gamay
Pinch of quatre epices, or cinnamon, clove, cardaman, nutmeg
Sugar for dusting the top crust
Cut pears in half, core, and peel with four facets. Heat butter in sauté pan, and cook until the pears start to brown. Add sugar, salt, and the wine mixed in successive small additions until the pears are well coated with a nice sugar glaze. Add the spices.
Fill the tart shell with pears, and flip the pastry back. Moisten the edge of the second piece of pastry and center it well over the dish. Crimp the pastry to seal the fruit. Cut small openings for steam vents. Brush a fine layer of water and sprinkle with fine sugar. Bake in a preheated 425oF oven 50 to 60 minutes.
