Cranberry Pear Tart with Walnut Shortbread Crust

Who wants an insanely easy but totally delicious dessert that will get you through the fall/winter festivities? Might I introduce you to this little beauty?

It's got a pat-in-the-pan crust, filling chopped in a food processor and a whole lot of personality!

You may have noticed I've been doing a lot of cooking from Fine Cooking magazine lately. They're definitely my new favourite!

Mmm. Macro-licious!

Follow the link for the recipe! 

 Cranberry-Pear Tart in a Walnut Shortbread Crust

( Fine Cooking)

For the walnut shortbread crust:
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbs. half-and-half
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
6-3/4 oz. (1-1/2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
3 Tbs. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. table salt
1/4 lb. (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped 

For the cranberry-pear filling:
3 large ripe pears, such as Anjou or Bartlett
2 cups fresh cranberries, picked through and rinsed
1 Tbs. brandy
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. table salt

For the buttery brown sugar streusal:
1-3/4 oz. (1/3 cup plus 1 Tbs.) unbleachedall-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/8 tsp. table salt
1 oz. (2 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

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Make the crust:

  Position a rack near the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk, half-and-half, and vanilla. Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor; pulse until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the butter pieces are no longer visible. With the processor running, add the yolk mixture in a steady stream and then pulse until the moisture is fairly evenly dispersed, 10 to 20 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Using your hands, mix in the chopped walnuts to distribute them evenly. The dough will be a mealy, crumbly mass.

Pour the crumb mixture into a 9-1/2-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom (available from Bridgekitchenware.com). Starting with the sides of the pan, firmly press the crumbs against the pan to create a crust about 1/4 inch thick. Press the remaining crumbs evenly against the bottom of the pan. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork and freeze for 10 minutes. Bake until the sides just begin to darken and the bottom is set, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

Make the filling:
Peel the pears, quarter them lengthwise, core, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

In a food processor, coarsely chop the cranberries. In a medium bowl, mix the pears, cranberries, and brandy. In a small bowl, mix the sugar, flour, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt; add to the cranberry-pear mixture, tossing to combine. Spoon the filling into the par-baked crust, leveling the filling and packing it down slightly with the back of a spoon.

Make the streusel and bake: 

  In a small bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Add the melted butter and vanilla. Combine with your fingers until the mixture begins to clump together in small pieces when pressed. Sprinkle the streusel over the filling, breaking it into smaller pieces if necessary.

Bake at 350°F until the fruit is tender when pierced with a fork and the streusel and the edges of the crust are golden brown, about 50 minutes. If the tart begins to get overly brown at the edges, cover with foil. Let the tart cool on a rack until it’s just barely warm before serving. The tart will keep, covered and at room temperature, for two to three days.